Noragami Season 1 (Genderbend)
by AliceStone25
Summary: Join in this adventure with Yaru, a nameless Goddess who wants to get more followers by doing different type of jobs. Along the way she gets her new regalia Yuki, and also a love interest which happens to be a teenage boy named Hioko Iki. What could possibly go wrong? (Almost the same plot, but with gender swap characters)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone ~! After (unfortunately) ending with Noragami Aragoto, I've been thinking of what to do with this crazy mind of mine. So one thought led to another, and before I knew it, I was wondering how the story would go if all the characters were gender swapped XD So I may not change some minor roles, and I might change the plot line a little bit. Please remember it's a FANfiction, so it's supposed to be however I want it to**  
 **be. I hope you all enjoy! ;)**

Our story begins in a local middle school in a far off part of the city. In the nurse's office of said school, a young boy with a pale complexion was drinking a cup of tea while trying to ease the pain in his head. A couple of minutes earlier he had fainted in the middle of the cafeteria and, as the nurse told him, his head had collided with the chair in a VERY uncomfortable angle.  
 _"That explains the headache..."_ the boy stated in his mind while realizing it was pretty obvious. With his train of thought, the boy didn't notice the school's nurse entering the room once again. It wasn't until she spoke that he noticed.

"It seems like you're better huh? That tea makes wonders"  
"Yes I'm feeling better, thank you again for bringing me here"  
"It's no problem, that's what I'm here for right? You should be a little more careful though. Next time, you're head might get some damage"  
"Of course. I'm sorry for the whole deal happening in the first place"  
"Don't be Kuruto-kun. Like I said, it's my job to look out for you all. What does concern me though is WHY did you faint. I know we're in the final exams but it's not for you to get all worked up about it. Are you sure you don't want me to call you're parents?"

The boy, now known as Kuruto Akise, shivered at the mention of his parents. The nurse noticed, but didn't say anything about it. Akise brushed the thoughts away and simply told her.  
"Don't worry about me ma'am. I'm fine now."

After some convincing from him, Akise had finally left the nurse's office with a strict order from her saying "If you feel dizzy again, come with me immediately" and the boy simply agreed to her demand. He was currently walking down the empty hallways towards his classroom. The exams had started 30 minutes ago, so now he was going to get a lecture for good. A sigh escaped his lips as he quickened the pace. Truth be told, Akise WAS indeed nervous because of the exams, just like any other person would be. He's never been the smart type, so his parents would usually lecture/hit him if he didn't get a good grade or at least "something decent" as his old man would quote.

It was very common for the young Kuruto to faint. All his bottled up worries would get to him once in a while and considering he never liked to talk about it, the teachers started to think he was being bullied (which was kind of true). The looks of pity would be some of the things the young boy despised about going to school.

The only interesting things that happened during the morning were, obviously his loss of consciousness, and the encounter with that weird lady in the front gate. She had said that she could help him with his stress problems for only 5 yen. The boy didn't think much about it, only that perhaps he was helping a homeless woman and for that he felt happy with helping.

His train of thought was once again interrupted once he was in front of the door towards his classroom. Taking a deep breath, he slid the door open only to bow quickly as a form of apology to his absence.  
"Excuse me sensei, may I come in? I'm sorry for being late.. but I have a note from the nurse so-"  
"Don't worry Kuruto-kun, I know you were having a tuff time. Just please take a work sheet and hurry to you're desk" said the teacher.  
Akise simply nodded and went to grab the desired item. Once he got it, he took his seat in the middle of the classroom almost at the back but not quite. That's when the looks of pity and hatred were shot his way (the only pitiful look given from the teacher himself). Also murmurs were starting to come from every direction, making the previous headache come back immediately.

"What is HE doing here?"  
"Even after playing his little act they let him take the test? That's nuts!"  
"Why does Mr. Smarty pants even NEED the grade? I think he'd be fine on his own"  
"Sure, he can do what he wants"  
"Teacher's pet"  
"Freak"  
"Nerd"  
"Why doesn't he die already?"

 _"You're wrong..."_ Akise kept repeating that in his head to try to block out the horrible comments from his classmates. It was already enough to hear those type of things at home, he didn't need more pressure. As the distortioned voices kept echoing in his brain, he couldn't help but actually consider some of the options...such as death. Once that thought crossed his mind, some voices that came from the window caught his attention and at the sight, the boy almost fainted again.

 **"SO WhY DoN't YoU dIe AlREadY?!"** Orange colored creatures that were almost the length of the entire football yard appeared out of nowhere. Eyes cold and deseparate for something. A life.  
Akise clasped both his hands towards his chest while repeating the same thing over and over again.  
 _"Please... oh please God save me! I'm scared. I need help! PLEASE!"  
_ Apparently he didn't notice the pair of figures standing outside of that exact same building.

/

Meanwhile, on another rooftop stood a young woman & man. If Akise had seen better, he would have noticed that this was indeed the woman he had given his 5 yen coin to in the morning.

The woman had ruffled purple-black hair that went past her shoulders a little bit above the waist. Her eyes were, most likely, the best thing about her because of it's rareness. They were an electric blue that showed nothing but pride and determination. Her clothing was pretty much in the same state as her hair; wrinkly and a little too dirty. It consisted of a jumpsuit dark blue colored and a pair of black shorts that were in between not too short, but not too long either. Lastly for her feet, she wore brown short boots that went above the ankles making her able to move comftorbly.

The man didn't have many details unlike his companion. He had short silky black hair and dark green eyes that suprisinly went good with him. His clothing consisted of a traditional male kimono, white as the clouds and a pair of sandals to match. The most outstanding of his features was an odd tattoo placed on his left hand which was a symbol that said "Haki".

"It seems like a big problem huh Tomoki?" Asked the woman to her companion.  
"It appears so, Yaru-san. Don't you think it's a little too much?"  
"Not exactly. It's the finals. During this time of the year a lot of people get worked up about it. Anyway" she stretched a bit and then turned to face Tomoki with a grin plastered on her face "you ready?"  
"I'm ready when you are, Yaru-san."  
"Alrighty then! Come, Haki!"

After saying those words, the man was enveloped in a bright light and the only thing visible was his tattoo. The orb of light came into the woman's hand and, once it was clear, you could see that a small dagger was there instead. Yaru jumped off of the rooftop life if nothing would happen from it, and then started to fall on each of the monster's heads. She was doing this just for fun, but when the actual deal started, her face became more serious. Once she was on top of another head, she back flipped so that she could be in the air again while passing her fingers threw the small dagger.

"You who would desecrate this land of the rising sun!" She started to say.  
"With my advent, I, the Yaru god, lay waste with the Haki and expel thy vast defilement!"  
After saying those words, Yaru started to slice each and everyone of the monsters.  
"REND!" and after saying THAT, the monsters exploded creating a weird yet beautiful pattern in the sky that simply vanished after a while. The woman landed on her feet gracefully while flipping her hair back with pride.

"Revert Haki!" Once again the light appeared around the dagger and the young man from before was next to her once again. Tomoki seemed amused at his companions behavior. She was always so childish and never took anything seriously, except a battle where she could show off. Also her sweaty hands weren't helping for him to feel safe/comfortable (yes, he could feel that while being a dagger). The only reason why he was still there was because of pity. Pity for the "supposed" God. Yaru wasn't known as a God at all. In fact, the heavens didn't even acknowledge her to any sort of event. Heck, she didn't even have a shrine! Something escencial for someone like her. When he was taken as a weapon he had feared that, but she would try to reasure him saying that they would get the money someday. That's the reason why they granted wishes for 5 yen. But with the way things progressed, luck didn't seem to be in their favor.  
After taking all this into consideration his mind, Tomoki realized it was time to go for good this time.  
"Yaru-San. I quit. Would you please release me?"

Yaru, who was still dancing with the music in her head, suddenly stopped after hearing what his regalia was saying. Once she took a good look at his face, she understood that he was being serious. That thought made her cringe internally.  
"But Tomoki, you've only been with me for 3 months. Plus you have to understand that if you leave I'll-" The man didn't let her finish, for he had enough of her lame excuses.  
"STOP IT! I DON'T CARE FOR ANY OF THAT CRAP, CAUSE ALL I WANT IS TO HAVE A GOOD HOME WITH SOMEONE WHO IS ACTUALLY A GOD! EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING KEEPS SCREAMING 'NOOOOOO!'" Then he fell to the floor hugging his knees while crying his heart out. He knew what to do. He would take advantage of the fact that she didn't like when they made a fuzz out of something so small, because according to her it ruined her reputation.  
"Alright! Alright I get it! Just cut it out! Look!" And when he did, light enveloped his master's finger and she said the words he'd been dying to hear for the past 3 months  
"Haki. I release you."  
The tattoo that was once in his left hand had disappeared proving that, indeed, he was free. And now that he didn't need her...  
"Bye bye stupid imitation of a God! Thanks for nothing!" The man screamed at her while running away. Yaru was not amused, but covered up her sadness with sarcasm instead. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction to see her like that.  
"FINE YOU LITTLE BRAT I DON'T NEED YOU! YOU'LL SEE! YOU'LL COME BEGGING FOR ME TO TAKE YOU BACK ONCE YOU SEE HOW POPULAR I'LL BECOME! I'LL BECOME A GOD AMONG GODS AND WITH AN AWESOME SHRINE! YOU WILL REGRET THIS DAY I SWEAR YOU WILL!"

Once she saw the young man disappear into who knows where, the God took a deep breath and then let out a sigh while walking away. The school bell rang and all the kids were running off, tests in hands towards their friends and family. Some of them bragged, most of them cried, and Yaru couldn't help but giggle at the many expressions surrounding her. But there was one boy who caught her attention. The one she had met that morning and had many family problems. A glimpse at his face was all it took to see that he was very proud of his results. Taking out his phone, the boy began dialing a number and waited for the other person to reply. Once they did, he started talking about his day and the results in his test which were actually pretty good, all the while a smile on his face.  
Yaru smiled as well while analyzing the young boy. At least someone appreciated her work. Even if he might not even remember her anymore.

Walking a little bit more away, the woman got to a park that was conveniently very close to the middle school. Searching threw all the trash cans, she was lucky enough to find an almost empty can of paint spray. She could tell it wasn't empty because of her experience with such things before. Why would somebody put this in the trash, that was beyond her. With the paint in cuestion, Yaru started to scribble her phone number on the walls with along with the name. If someone needed help with anything at all, they would find her. When the can was empty, the woman sat down in a nearby bench waiting... And waiting... And waiting...  
 _"I really need to find a new regalia. I'm technically exposed to the phantoms like this!"_ Complained Yaru in her head. Glancing at an empty bottle of wine that contained some yen coins hidden in her backpack, she started to consider the thought of actually looking for Tomoki and ask him to be her regalia again. She could try to get better at whatever he was tired of. But before this could continue any further, her phone started ringing.  
With a swift movement she stood up and answered the call with her trademark introduction.

"Hello this is the Yaru God! Fast, affordable and reliable! Thank you for calling and what can I do for you?!"  
 _ **"U-um... hello... i-i need some help with... uh...you see..."**_ the voice of a girl, probably a little kid was on the other side. Yaru could hear the nervousness in her voice, so she decided to come across with a different approach.  
"Yes? You can tell me, don't worry. Whatever it is I promise I'll do it for you, does that sound OK?"  
 ** _"Um... OK. My pet's lost... and I was hoping if you could find him"  
_** "Really? And who is this pet? What's his name if I may ask?"  
 _"His name is Milord. And he's a cat"_  
Any other person would have taken the task of finding a cat as piece of cake, or even as an offence for the 'difficulty' of it. But Yaru tried to take all of her jobs seriously. The poor little girl was probably deseparate to find Milord and was coming to HER to help. So Yaru, with new found confidence, said:  
"Don't you worry. I'll look every were for him. I won't rest until I find him, and bring him home safe in sound. Once I find Milord I'll call this number again and then you can tell me where you want me to take him. You don't have to pay me if you don't want to. OK?"  
The other side of the line was silent for a moment, and Yaru started to think that she scared the girl away. But then she heard a couple of sniffs in the background and then the voice once again said:  
 _"Ok... thank you Yaru-san"_ With a smile, the God said:  
"No problem..."

/

"MILORD! HERE LITTLE FELLA, KITTY KITTY! MILORD!"

The Goddess kept her promise and searched the whole city. It's been 3 days ever since she was given the task to find the cat, only taking breaks to eat/sleep. She was currently in central park where a lot of shops could be seen, probably for the many tourists that the city had. Letting out a yawn and getting a picture out of her pocket, Yaru continued with the search. The little girl had sent her an email with Milord's photograph, and considering she had to go to a cafe to see it, the Goddess used the little money she had to print a copy.

"Man, how much trouble does it take to find a cat? Like seriously!"

Walking in between all the people in the crowd, Yaru was about to give up for the day, until something made her turn to her left. There, she couldn't help but stare.  
There was a young boy, probably a teenager, with silky black hair that reminded her of Tomoki's for a bit. He was wearing a simple pair of navy blue pants, along with dark gray sneakers and a simple white T-shirt. He was also holding a backpack over his shoulder while talking with another pair of boys that just now did she realize were there. For some odd reason, the boy attracted her and she felt like some sort of a weird connection.  
And when the boy turned her way, her breath was taken away, and she could feel a light blush spreading across her face. The boy's eyes were very peculiar, for they were pink! A bright pink/fiusha that was the complete opposite of everything Yaru had seen in him before. Some people would call it weird, or even gay, but she thought they were cute.  
Once the blush was gone, the Goddess noticed something else she wasn't aware of. Behind the boy and in the street, was none other than-

"MILORD!"

Yaru would recognize him anywhere. She has been searching for him for 3 DAYS STRAIGHT! Also staring at the picture for too long made her memorize the cat as if it were her own. Without a second thought, the woman jumped over the bench that separated the street from the sidewalk and ran towards her prize.  
 _"Finally found you ya little rascal! I can finally get rid of this job and focus on finding a regalia!"_ Yaru was so happy in her own thoughts, that she didn't notice the truck heading towards her.  
Whatever happened after that was a blur for her. She remembered hearing some honks and screams, but there was one voice who yelled "WATCH OUT!" And before she knew it, she felt a pair of hands push with force on her back sending her flying towards the other side of the sidewalk. Then she feels the pain in her head, but nothing severe, she was a God after all. Nothing could harm her.

"Are you alright ma'am?!" Said a young male voice.  
Yaru turned around because the voice was right next to her so she thought that someone might be talking to her for once. She was only greeted by a pair of pink orbs. The blush came back, and her throat was dry all of a sudden. For once in her immortal life, she didn't know what to say. The boy's eyes expressed nothing but concern, but then they changed to a more angry state.  
"Why would you run to the street without looking first?! If you weren't luck enough you would have gotten seriously injured!"  
"Um... I... well..." Milord jumped in her arms and hid under her shirt. Yaru simply tried to pull the feline away without breaking any contact with the young boy.

"HIOKO! OI HIOKO! WAKE UP MAN THIS ISN'T FUNNY!"

That was when they both realized the situation. The boy was there next to Yaru, but at the same time he was on he floor in front of the truck unconscious. The other pair of boys who Yaru had seen before were desperately trying to wake him up while the ambulance came by. A scream from her right made Yaru look at her companion. Her own face was filled with curiosity but also a hint of guilt after seeing what the boy was fuzzing about. A tail, the same shade of pink as his eyes, was placed upon him.

Well this was going to be interesting.

/

 ** _Well this turned out well XD Remember I don't own Noragami nor the picture of this fanfiction, so please accept my weirdness as part of an AU XD_**

 **Hope you all enjoyed. I think I exaggerated with everyone's description/backstory. What do you all think?**


	2. Chapter 2

The final tests have been rough on everyone. Not only the middle schoolers, but also the high schoolers were getting chewed to death by they're parents/tutors. Fortunately, this was not the case for 3 boys who were walking down the sidewalks of Central Park. They all seemed to be perfectly calm so we're going to asume that they did good in the exams. But hey, there must be an excuse for us to just zoom into them, right?  
The trio went to the same school, pretty obvious thanks to their matching uniforms that consisted on Navy blue pants, gray sneakers, white T-shirt underneath and a dark blue sweater. Casual, yet we're not here to complain. They were all freshman. 15 year olds.

"How can you say something like that you idiot?! Have you even given her a glance?"  
said Akihiko Aiko.  
"Yes I have, and let me tell you something Aiko, not all of us like girls just because they're pretty! Have YOU ever noticed how she keeps stalking me around?!" Said Jyiuya Makoto  
"What's wrong with having a little bit of attention! Plus, thanks to that Layla will get jealous and she will finally accept to go out with you! See? You both win!"  
"Oh you mean what you did with Mitsuba huh? Oh yeah she was SOOOO jealous that she kept saying hi to you everyday without a care in the world!"  
"Hey, don't get Mitsuba on this! She's different OK? She wants me, she just didn't know it yet."  
"You're the one who put MY Layla in this! Plus, how is Mitsuba any different?! The only difference I see is that Layla is prettier than her but that's just about it!"  
"WAIT WHAT? Listen dude, we're bros in all, but no one is prettier than Mitsuba."  
"Yeah, keep telling yourself that"  
"Layla's a whore..."  
"THAT DOES IT!"  
"YOU STARTED IT!"  
"NO I DIDN'T!"  
"JUST ADMIT THAT MY GIRLFRIEND IS PRETTIER THAN YOURS!"  
"NO, MINE IS!"  
 **"HIOKO! WHO'S PRETTIER?! MITSUBA OR LAYLA?!"**

The third boy who wasn't part of the fuzz, didn't even glance they're way, for he was occupied with his cellphone while using headphones. Iki Hioko was is name. And he was the only one in the group who wasn't wearing a sweater. He said it was because of the laps he was forced to do during P.E. class, but both his friends knew he was never fond to the school uniform. Hioko had silky black hair and a pair of peculiar pink eyes that, according to his mother, shined brightly whenever he was extremely concentrated. Pretty much in the state he was courently while holding the phone. Before he knew it though, a pair of arms were wrapped around his waist and another person snatched the electronic device away from his reach.

"Guys! What the heck?! Mako give it back!"  
Hioko was trying with no avail to retrieve his phone, but the heigh difference between him and his friend was an issue. Curse his shortness.

"Now, what was so important that you had to ignore you're friends huh?"

With single look at the device in his hands, Mako burst laughing while shoving the phone in Aiko's face to show him Hioko's interests. It didn't take long for Aiko to join in the laughter and give the pink eyed boy a playful noogie.

"You guys done making fun of me? Remind me why we're friends again will you?"  
Finally after a couple of minutes, they both calmed down and Makoto gave him his phone back.  
"I'm sorry man, got caught up in the moment. But really Hioko? You still doing those things? That's why you get a girl in the first place for. She's gonna give you all the things you need."  
"You make it sound dirty like that" said Hioko  
"Well excuse me if you have a perverted mind Iki-san!"  
"It's only like that because of you 2..." Hioko mumbled quietly.  
"I kind of agree with Makoto on this one Hioko, and trust me I don't do that quite often. What you should be worried about is getting a job to take care of her, and let her do all the chores." Said Aiko while adjusting his glasses.  
"But what if I want to do it for living?" Said Hioko starting to walk again towards his home  
"But weren't you gonna become a doctor like you're dad?"  
The mention of his 'future job' made the pink eyed boy slow his pace. Staring back at his phone, the boy closed Google Chrome, but not before bookmarking his latest search under the name "Pizza". After that, he closed the recipie for the meal in question and closed the phone putting it in his back pocket.

Hioko's parents have always been good people. Hioko knew it ever since birth, and he was proud of being part of his family. In fact, the goodness in their heart was expressed after they opened they're very own hospital in the center of Japan. The Iki Hospital.  
His father was a very recognized doctor and almost every patient felt at ease with him. His mother was the main receptionist; a woman with determination yet kindness in her way of treating people.  
Even his older sister Maru worked there part time as a nurse. She would usually take care of the children, but when needed, she would go with grownups as well.  
And Hioko always intended to join the family bussiness. When he was a kid he used to play doctor with his father's coat claiming that he would 'grow in it'.

But after some years, the idea of becoming a doctor wasn't so interesting anymore. It actually started to scare him. The mere thought that someone's life was in his hands was enough for him to feel goosebumps. Plus, he started to feel like maybe HE should end with the family tradition. Do something different with his life. Those thoughts started to surface when he was 11, so his parents never questioned as to why he didn't want to come to the hospital anymore, thinking that maybe it was just his teenager face.

Once he turned 12, he helped to bake his own birthday cake because his mother insisted for him to do so. He was surprised when he actually enjoyed the 'feminine' activity, so he didn't hesitate to offer his help for any other occasion. He started learning on his own from YouTube videos, recipies online and asking his sister whenever he had a chance to call her. Little by little, it became a hobby for him.

He never entrusted his secret with anyone; not even his family. Why you may ask? Because Hioko wanted to become a chef. If he ever did get married, he would help his wife with all the meals, and she could clean afterwards. He didn't believe in all that nonsense that the female had to take care of everything for her husband. If he could do anything to help, he would gladly do so. Of course he wasn't stupid enough to do all the work for anyone: he would be fair.  
The only reason why his 'friends' knew his secret was because they came to his house once uninvited. Catching him in an apron while holding an egg, he regreted ever giving them a key to his household. And even after all these years, Hioko keeps thinking that he should just cope with the expectations placed upon him. It couldn't be that bad. But this thought was put on hold once the young Iki heard a slap come from behind him.  
Of course he'd be meet by the sight of Makoto landing a blow in Aiko's head.

"Baka! You know as well as I do that Hioko doesn't like to talk about these things!"  
Said Mako  
"Hey all I was asking was if his plans had changed, that's all!" Replied an angry looking Aiko  
"It doesn't even concern us, let's just let him be! What would YOU do if someone asked if you were going to that fancy university you've been thinking of huh?"  
"I would obviously say that I would! I mean come on it's an opportunity of a lifetime, unlike SOME people who decide to just stick with a non-reliable carrier such as sports and hope it will all fall into place!"  
"Whoa whoa when did this turn against me?! If I succeed out there, I won't be needing to work at something that I hate! You know, some of us have to work phisically hard instead of relaxing all day and just reading dusty old books to become nerds!"  
"NERD!? You're one to talk Mr. Slacker! When was the last time that you actually paid attention to a book huh!?"

As the boy with pink eyes watched from the sidelines, he couldn't help but feel guilty. HE had caused this! Yes his friends could be a little hot-headed at times but most of their figths started because of HIM. Before things would escalate to a different level, Hioko put one harm around Aiko while the other one somehow gently pushed Mako out of reach. After that, a smile appeared across his face while saying:

"C'Mon guys let's not argue about something so stupid! Mako just accept the fact that Aiko's going to nerd school! And Aiko let's just face that Mako wouldn't read a book even if he was about to be thrown into Tokyo ocean!"  
"Hey!" Both Mako and Aiko replied  
Hioko only resorted to laughing as hard as he could... with his friends joining him after a while finding the jokes he said earlier kind of funny. They both knew that Hioko just wanted to change to subject, so they silently agreed with changing the subject.  
"Ok let's continue with the debate of whose prettier shall we?" Asked Aiko with a diplomatic tone in his voice  
"Well this won't take long" said Makoto with a smirk causing Hioko to burst out laughing again while the boy with glasses simply glared.

Once Hioko stopped, he was about to answer with a funny insult until he felt a weird presence next to him. It wasn't unpleasant, but it wasn't welcoming either. Curiosity got the best of him as he looked for the source on his left side. To say he was surprised was an understandment. He seriously felt stupid with all these thoughts that came to him at once, for they sounded extremely cheesy (something a guy would never think). But still here he was, staring intensely at the beautiful young woman in front of him.  
She had long ruffled black-blue hair and a very peculiar outfit. It seemed to be a jersey suit that came with the sweater, shorts and boots that were a little worn out. And last but not least were her eyes. They resembled a lot to the ones of a cat, but they were an electric blue color that sent a shiver down Hioko's spine. For a moment he could have sworn he saw her blush.

Even though time seemed to go in slow motion, Hioko was aware that his friends kept walking ahead of him, so he decided to quicken the pace a bit even if it meant to break contact with the young woman. But before he could do so, the woman in question's expression seemed to turn into one of shock mixed with hapiness as she ran past him straight towards the street.

"MILORD!" The woman yelled. That's when Hioko noticed the white fluffy cat in the middle of the road. But he also noticed the big truck heading at full speed towards them.

Everything after that was a blur. A mixture of sounds and colors were around him. Some voices yelling his name, others simply yelling, the sound of tires trying to slow down; it was pretty intense. But his only concern was the woman who was grabbing the cat who he assumed was called 'Milord'. He recognized that name. It was in a flyer he had seen near the school grounds that morning. Who knew he'd get to meet the cat.

"WATCH OUT!" he yelled as he pushed the long haired woman out of the way.

The impact made both of them crash against the sidewalk, scraping some skin in the process. Surprisingly, Hioko didn't feel any sort of pain, so he just assumed he had gotten very lucky. Then he remembered the whole reason why he had done such a reckless thing in the first place. Turning towards his companion, the young Iki started his interrogation.  
"Are you alright ma'am?!"  
That was the moment when the young woman looked his way and a small blush covered her cheeks. Even though he found that cute, he couldn't help but start getting deseperate of the lack of answers he was getting. Anger started to boil deep within him, and before he knew it, he was also expressing it.  
"Why would you run to the street without looking first?! If you weren't lucky enough you would have gotten severiously injured!"  
"Um... I ... well..." the woman tried to reply but nothing but sounds left her mouth while she was trying to keep Milord steady.

"HIOKO! OI HIOKO! WAKE UP MAN THIS ISN'T FUNNY!"

That voice was enough to snap the pink eyed boy back into reality. As he turned towards the source, the guilty feeling from before came back with the sight. In front of the truck from earlier, his body layed on the ground while Makoto kept shaking him, desperate for him to wake up. Aiko on the other hand had a few tears streaming down his face as he kept calling someone on his phone. Probably his parents so they- WAIT!... His body...?  
The black haired boy looked between himself and the 'Other' him in the middle of the street, trying to comprehend what was going on. But then, a sort of pink string caught his attention behind him, making him look around to see that it was attached to his butt.

"AHHHHHHH!" The boy didn't know what else to do but that.  
The scream caught the blue eyed woman's attention, and she shared an equally expression filled with shock.  
"This can't be good..." she mumbled mostly to herself, but Hioko heard her.  
"W-What are you talking about? Am I seeing things.. or can you see it too ma'am? Please tell me you can! I'm not crazy am I?! Oh God if my parents find out they have a lunatic for a son they will-!"  
"Calm down! You're gonna be OK, see? They're already taking you're body away"  
At first Hioko didn't understand, but then he looked back at the scene behind them and saw that, indeed an ambulance had already come and was currently carrying the 'other' him into it.  
"Just breathe..." said the woman again.  
He somehow found her voice comforting, so he did how he was told and, little by little he grew tired. Until the last thing he saw was the woman's smiling face towards him. Then it all went black.

/

At first, all he saw was darkness. But it wasn't like those cliché horror movies type of darkness. This one was not cold, but warm. That's when Hioko realized he was wrapped in not so thick blankets, laying in a bed that felt very different from his own. He moved a little to the left and turned in the same direction to find a small clock in a nightstand that glowed '3:30 A.M.' The boy recognized that clock, as well as the wallpaper that decorated the entire room he was at. Also there were some beeping noises in the background that gave it all away. His parents' hospital.

And just like that, everything that happened earlier came back to the black haired male's mind and he started to panic. Turning at his back, Hioko searched with no avail the pink cord that he had previously seen. Nothing was there.  
 _  
"Was it all a dream?"  
"No I don't think so, it felt so real"  
"My God I had a TAIL!"  
"Where's that woman? I hope she's OK."  
"Wait, why do I care?"_

Hioko's mind wandered off with these unanswered questions for not even a minute, when they were interrupted by the voice of (he assumed to be) a little girl.  
 ** _"Please! I want to go home! Where is Daddy?!"  
_** The pink eyed boy felt sorry for her. It wasn't uncommon that some children who were in critical condition had to stay over the night. And even though his parents were compassionate people, there was nothing they could do with the time limit for a patient's visitor. Even if they were family. One thing was weird though. If it was so early in the morning, who could the girl be talking to in the first place? The doctors left hours ago, and the nurses were not allowed in the rooms unless an emergency occurred. That's when Hioko heared more voices, all of them coming from different directions of his room.  
And all of them filled with despair.

 **"Mommy will come for me right? I just hope she doesn't take too long"**  
 **"Man what am I even doing here? They already said I don't have hope. Stupid paramedics... they're wrong!"**  
 **"Please honey don't cry.. we-we're gonna get through this. I'll be out of here in no time, you'll see!"**  
 **"I know I'm being a burden! You don't have to say it twice dammit! Just let me die already!"**  
 **"I wish it would all go away!"**  
 **"Just kill me please nurse! Now before I change my mind!"**  
 **"I wAnT tO dIe!"**  
"Can you hear the voices from the Far Shore?"

It took a moment for Hioko to realize that that voice sounded close to him. VERY close actually. Taking a deep breath, the young boy glanced at his back in search of the sound. To say he was surprised was an understandment. For there, under the pile of blankets next to him in the bed, was a young woman of blue cat-like eyes...  
"AHHHHH! WHAT THE HELL!? OH MY GOD A PROSTITUTE! HELP ME, THERE'S A PROSTITUTE IN MY ROOM! HE-!"  
"Shhhhh! Man why do I even bother? Geez..."  
A hand had slapped itself over Hioko's mouth, and only muffled noises came from him. After blinking a couple of times, he finally recognized who the woman was.  
"Y-You! Are you OK ma'am?! Wait! What are you even doing in my room!? You should be in yours!"  
"Hey hey! One question at a time OK? First of all of course I'm fine, we Gods don't get hurt that easily ya know? Second, can't I come and pay a visit?"  
The young boy just stared at the woman before him with a confused expression. But then, after letting her words sink in, he couldn't help but blink once... twice... Her? A God? That may not be the term he had in mind for her.  
"Ma'am, perhaps you're suffering some sort of mental disorder. Please allow me to take you with the receptionist and we can fi-" Before he could even reach out to her, the woman's arms smacked his hands away and then planted themselves across her chest. All the while a pout on her face.

 _"Man that cuteness is gonna be the death of someone someday... wait, what?"  
_  
Hioko could feel some heat rising up on his cheeks caused by the thoughts in his head. Yes, the young woman was indeed kind of attractive, but still the mere thought of how much of an age difference could be between them gave him goosebumps all over his body.

"Hey! You even listening to me!?"  
"H-Huh? Oh! Sorry I didn't. What did you say ma'am?"  
"THERE YOU GO AGAIN! I'M TELLING YOU KID STOP CALLING ME MA'AM IT MAKES ME FEEL LIKE A GRANDMA! THE NAME'S YARU! Y-A-R-U! AND I AIN'T SOME CRAZY CHICK OK?, I'M A REAL GOD!"  
While forcefully poking his chest with her index finger, the woman named 'Yaru' rambled directly in his face. The Young Iki kept a steady face when in reality all he wanted was to burst out laughing at the woman's red angry face. Putting his hands up in surrender, he simply decided he'd humor her.

"If you're an actual God, then prove it"

Even though it sounded like a threat/joke all he wanted was to make her understand that it would be impossible for her to be a Goddess. The option of a mental disorder was still open. It WAS pretty common to get those type of things in a car accident.  
To his surprise however, instead of receiving another angry remark from her, Yaru merely put on a serious looking face and spoke.  
"For starters, I know what those voices are. And that thing you call a 'tail' too"  
Freezing on the spot, the boy remembered those weird voices and noises. They appeared to be in pain, and most of them seemed to be familiar with the concept of a hospital. Even if this woman appeared to be crazy, she DID have a point with that. Besides, she was there when he had discovered that weird pink tail attached to himself. Maybe she had some answers?

"But I'm not gonna tell you cause remember: I'm 'crazy' right?"

After thinking of a remark for her, the boy turned her way only to be greeted by the sight of her cuddled up in his hospital bed.  
"Hey! That's mine!"  
"By the way, what's you're name?" She said completely ignoring his prior comment.  
Even though she was being rude for doing that, he wasn't going to be like her. So he introduced himself the best he could without making it seem like he was angry.  
"Hioko. iki Hioko"  
"Iki... Hioko...?..." she mumbled quietly; trying the name in her lips. The boy could have sworn he heard her say something like 'that's pretty cute' but he wasn't very sure.

"Well, I came to see if you were OK. So now we're even!"

When he heard that, Yaru jumped off the bed and ran towards the window. After removing the lock and opening it, she paused for a moment and then turned to face him. A small sincere smile graced on her lips. And all Hioko could do was stare.  
"Even though I didn't need it, thank you. For trying to save me" It felt nice to know that someone would actually risk their own life to save her, so Yaru wanted to show how much she appreciated it. And just like that, she had vanished into the night sky. Leaving a teenage boy to his own hormonal thoughts.

/

The next day Hioko went to school like usual. According to his father, he had only received a couple of minor bruises & scratches from the accident. So with only a couple of careful pats on the back and a doctor's note, Iki Hioko was on his way to the tall educational building.  
He was greeted by the concerned looks and words of his friends. Makoto would be asking weird questions such as 'How many fingers do you see?' Or 'Do you need to go with the nurse?' And so many more. Aiko, on the other hand, would simply check his temperature and try to identify other possible mental health symptoms. Even though it was nice of them to worry, it was also getting annoying. So after many explanations and showing off his doctor notes, Aiko & Mako finally understood that Hioko was, somewhat, fine.

"So you guys still gonna try out for the soccer team?" Asked Hioko who had his hands in his sweater's pockets. Him & his friends were currently walking down the hallway towards they're next class.  
"Of course! I mean have you seen the special treatment the team gets? Besides, being in a succesful sports team is practically the key to getting the ladies~!" Replied Makoto while carrying his backpack over a shoulder, and Hioko's over the other.  
No matter how much the pink eyed boy insisted that he could carry it himself, Mako was not gonna buy it, so he simply 'offered' to do it. Hioko didn't even have a say in it.  
"Well, unlike YOU, I'm gonna join for the extra credits. With them it'll practically guaranty my entrance into The Independent Study Program!" Almost squealed Aiko.  
The third boy in the group merely laughed at his 2 friend's different desires. How he befriended them, that will always be a mystery to the black haired boy.  
Before he knew it though, his body started to feel heavy and suddenly his legs gave up on him.

"HIOKO!"

Makoto let go of both backpacks to try and catch his friend before he could hit the ground. The youngest Iki tried to regain his balance while supporting himself on his friend's shoulder. After a couple of deep breaths, he looked up at both of his friends.  
"Thanks man. Sorry if I scared you both. I just got tired all of a sudden"  
Then he tried to give them both one of his usual reassuring smiles, but it came out as a slury tired one instead, which only alarmed the other 2 even more.  
"Listen Hioko. Let's just go to the nurse's office. You shouldn't have come here today; you should be resting in bed" said Aiko while picking up both fallen backpacks.  
"No, seriously guys I'm ok. See?" The young Iki tried to get up by himself only to find that the dizziness had returned making him fall on his butt. That was the last straw.

Before he knew it, Iki Hioko had been dragged outside of the high school grounds by his 2 best friends telling him to 'Not cause trouble'. Though maybe leaving him alone was not the wisest decision.  
The principle had called the boy's parents, but considering they wouldn't answer their cellphones, he had ended up calling to their hospital instead. Obviously they answered this time. Ms. Iki had said that she would go pick her son up in a couple of minutes, max half an hour. So now Hioko was sitting on a bench in the front yard, playing with the loose strings of his worn out backpack with one hand, and checking his phone with the other.  
The dizziness had faded away some minutes ago, so now Hioko could actually try to focus on the matter at hand. Now these weird fainting attacks would come at random times, even when he feel normal a couple of minutes earlier. All of it happening ever since the accidental encounter with Yaru. Could she possibly be right? Did she know how to stop all of it? And if so, would she even tell him?  
Before he knew it, the pink eyed boy started follwing a scent that seemed pretty familiar (only letting his instincts guide him) But not before sending a quick message to his mom:  
 _  
To: Mom_  
 _Hey mom! I decided to head home by myself since I was feeling better. Sorry and I KNOW I'll get a scolding later XD But don't worry, I'm here now. See ya later!_

/

Meanwhile on the other side of the city, we get to see Yaru roaming around the alleyways searching for a certain feline. After her first encounter with Hioko, she couldn't help but feel guilty of causing him such harm. Even though he didn't seem that bad, Yaru left Milord inside a trashcan next to the plaza and ran after the ambulance.  
And once she made sure that the boy was OK, the woman went back, only to find the trashcan empty.

"Stupid brat. I swear this is the last time I bother looking for someone dammit! And what's with cats these days? Seriously!"  
The woman kept throwing tantrum after tantrum while looking between all bushes close to the area. Now she had to search all over again, plus deliver the cat before her little client would get depressed! And might not get paid... Stupid cat! Stupid trashcan! Stupid boy! Stupid Iki Hioko!  
 ** _"Are you alright ma'am?!"_**  
... Sigh.  
Stupid kid that made her feel warm and fuzzy inside.  
No one had ever shown her that much kindness in all of her immortal life. The black haired male's eyes were SO full of concern back then. Apart from wanting to pay him a visit, she also wanted to thank him properly. Maybe that trip was kind of worth it.

 _MIAU!_

"Huh?" That noise sounded full of distress even if it was that of an animal. Following the hissing noises, Yaru made her way across the road (looking both ways before crossing this time) and headed her way towards some old looking apartments. The hissing became louder and before she knew it, the young God came across a white-gray cat.  
"Milord! There you are ya little rascal!"  
Upon hearing his name, the cat stopped for a brief moment to stare at her. Then without warning he jumped into her arms trembiling slightly.  
"Hey what's the matter? You're safe now don't worry" Yaru found herself trying to comfort the little fur ball.

 **"INIOI..."**

A frown replaced Yaru's bright smile in an instant. Giving a quick glance around, she finally made a run for it. And just at time, for now a big blue fish looking monster was hot on her heels.  
"Damm! You provoked it didn't you?" The God asked the little fur ball still curled against her chest. Making a sharp turn on the next corner, Yaru once again placed Milord on the floor and urged him to run away, which he happily complied.  
Trying to outrun the thing would be pointless, so it was clear she was gonna have to fight. With a sharp turn and a look of determination set upon her, the young Goddess speeded straight towards the blue monster. And after looking straight into it's eyes, a realization struck like lightning.  
 _"SHIT! I DON'T HAVE A REGALIA!"_  
The woman kept on her steady running pace, but instead of attacking she jumped on top of it and then ran off once again. This time though, the blue thing was quicker and grasped her right ankle to lift her into it's mouth. Right before she could be devoured, a flash of black came right into her and pushed with enough force to get her free.  
Then a hand some fingers interlocked with hers andbith her and her saviour were running for their lives. Speaking of her saviour...  
"Iki Hioko?!"

Indeed the young boy was running as fast as his legs could carry him, still holding onto Yaru's hand. Without saying a word though, the teen keep jumping away from the creature over many buildings. When thy had out ruined the thing for a moment, Hioko took the chance to get into an alleyway and let go of the God's hand. Before she could ask his intentions, he pushed down against some garbage bags hidden behind the trashcans and stared at her with a pleading look.

"Stay here. I'll distract it. Don't come out until I say so" He quickly whispered.

At first she found it cute, but then she felt offended. He didn't think she could handle it? He was a MORTAL for crying out loud! When she was about to protest, the boy had already vanished with the thing hot on his heels. There was no way she wasn't going to help! Sprinting after them, Yaru stared at the boy in front of her, watching what moves would he make. Suddenly he stopped running and turned around to give the gigantic thing a kick that left I dizzy for a minute. Those karate lessons really paid off!  
To beat the monster, Hioko thought it would be time to use his signature move. His own personal technique.

"Jungle Sava- AHHHHH!"

Before he could finish, Yaru had gotten close enough and pulled him down to the earth from his pink tail, which cause severe pain to course through his body.  
While running off once again, she scold him.  
"You idiot! What are you doing?! Listen, that thing ain't only a tail, it's a connection between you're real body and you're spirit! If it gets cut you die!" She explained briefly.  
"Wait what? What are you talking about?!"

/

They spent all night trying to avoid the creature, until finally they decided to give it a rest since it was nowhere to be seen.  
"Alright Yaru, what is going on?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"You know exactly what I mean! I'm here for answers and it's clear that you have them! Fine you're a God, I admit it! Now tell me what is gong on with my body?!"  
"Didn't you're parents ever teach these things already?"  
"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!"  
It was rare for Hioko to loose his temper. He was usually the one who would END the fights between his friends and suddenly change then topic so it would be long forgotten.  
So the redden angry face was a sit that Yaru tried to keep imprinted in her head because she may not be able to see it again. Even so, he was right. It was time to actually try to explain him. Pointing at the pink string still attached to him, she began.

"That's not a tail. It's a cord that connects your soul to you're body. Like I said before, if it's cut, end of the line. It appears that ever since the accident with me, you now have the ability to go between both the Far Shore & the Near Shore. The Near Shore is were the humans live at, and the Far Shore is basically what you call the afterlife. You're not dead, nor alive. You just exist. That's something you have to deal with from now on. Slipping out of your body is gonna be normal for you now."

Trying to tell all of this to a human teenage boy was something VERY strange for Yaru. Hioko's face reflected a bit of confusion and shock. Maybe it was a LITTLE too much of information. Once again his face reflected that of anger.  
"Fix me!"  
"Um... I don't think that's how it works"  
"If you're really a God than it shouldn't be a problem right? Plus you owe it to me!"  
Is kid was getting a little too close for her liking.  
"Ok I will. But I hope you have the fee with you"  
"What?! You charge?!"  
"Of course! Nothing in life is free ya know? With this should be enough" Yaru lifted her right hand.  
"5 MILLION?! I'm in high school, I don't even work yet!"  
"Where are you getting those ideas? I'm not taking advantage of anyone! I charge the reasonable prize of 5 yen!"  
"5-5 Yen?" Hioko asked just to make sure he had heard right.  
"Exactly!"  
After getting over the initial shock, Hioko searched on his left pocket and pulled out the shinny coin and then placed it on the young woman's open palm. With a grin plastered upon her, she flipped the coin in the air and then caught it with no effort whatsoever.  
"Your wish has been heard loud and clear!"  
So much energy and cuteness was on that young looking face and Hioko couldn't help but laugh quietly.  
"Iki Hioko" the way she said his name gave him a weird comforting feeling.  
"Yes?"  
"May our fates interwine dearly" That statement was both for him & herself. A feeling inside of her told her that this boy would be important in her life. It wasn't one of those cliché type of emotions like in those romantic chick flicks; it was more like a possibility.

Hioko on the other hand knew that this woman was going to cause him a lot of trouble. But he somehow didn't mind. The conflicts with himself were more problematic than this. Staring at the beauty in front of him, the teenage boy sad the first thing that came to mind:  
"Thank you.."  
Why he said that? That's something that even later on he will never find out. His guess? He was thanking her for giving him some new excitement in his life. Something that he would very likely remember until the end of time.

/

 **A/N: Heeeeeeey~ *Dodges the many chairs and tomatoes thrown at her*  
OK OK I'm sorry ya'all happy?! I'm not dead so you can stop speculating XD**

 **But seriously guys I'm sorry I haven't updated in forever! The thing with these parts is that I'm gonna be a doing a chapter per episode. Last one and his one were split in 2 because I wanted to keep it short, but might as well just do it like that so it can be long and enjoyable.  
So school is being a drag, plus my personal life plus new updates on my YouTube account and now this! Not complaining though, I love everything I do! And thanks a lot for being patient.  
Last time I tried to update this part it ended up with me loosing THE ENTIRE THING! A storm came close to my area and electricity got taken down. And science the tablet was low on battery... well... it dies on me (again :p) So the whole thing was lost and I had to rewrite it XD Any who, don't worry cause unlike my other stories I actually have a plotline already so I can follow! I'll only change some bits of it. Later I'll work on new genderbend stories like Seraph of The End. But that will be once I'm done with this and maybe Aragoto too.**

 **Without further ado, thanks a lot for reading and I'll see you next time!  
~Alice :)**


	3. Chapter 3

"Hioko! Honey it's time to get up!"

The voice of a middle aged woman rang in the background of a very small room.  
It only had a nightstand, bed, closet and a window. A couple of martial arts posters of Mr. Tono and singers such as Fall Out Boys in the walls that were painted a faint purple color.  
Also in the bed, there was a large lump hidden under the covers.

"I know you heard me young man now come and eat something or else I'll use 'Jungle Savate' on you!"

The woman's voice rang louder this time, probable because she was on the other side of the door. The lump started to move slowly and a couple of groans were heard.

"Ok OK I'm up."

The lump was mumbling quietly about 'Why was he always the one that got scolded?' and other things. While turning towards the night stand, there was a clock with glowing red numbers.

7:20

"7:20... 7:20..."...

THUMP!

"Damm it!"

Hioko was up in a flash as he roamed around his closet looking for the uniform. Fidgeting with the buttons and the holders, he grabbed the desired clothing and started to put it on (He sleeps with just boxers and socks)  
He ran down the stairs and headed to the kitchen.

There, waiting for him, was a woman who seemed to be starting her 30's.

She wore a black apron with blue outlines on top of her light blue shirt. A pair of brown pants with sandals suited her. Her short curly brown hair was held with a black headband, and her light pink eyes seemed to emit a very positive attitude.

Hioko's mother. Iki Akane.

"Well someone's in a hurry"  
She said dripping with sarcasm.

The boy in question only opted by nodding and then placing some bread on the toster while pealing a banana.

"Why are you so worried anyway? Its bearly 7:30"

"Yeah but *Munch* I promised the guys I'd *Munch* get there early so we could study *Munch*"

"More tests?! Sweetie if I had known you'd get so much work we would have sent you somewhere else"

"Mom I told you. I'm happy in this school so don't worry."

"I know. Even so, you should be careful OK? Your father and I don't want you to push your limits that much"

"Don't you worry. I promise I'll take it slow if it makes you happy"

"Yes, thank you sweetie"

Once the usual morning speech was over, Hioko took off once again with half of the now burnt toast in his mouth. He headed towards the back yard where he would always leave his bike.

It was a black colored one with purple streaks here and there. Also with a couple of Tono stickers on it.  
It was a gift from his father when he graduated in middle school. It wasn't that pretty, but it was still good.

It had been 3 weeks since he got hit by that truck. And also 3 weeks since he met Yaru.  
In that time, Hioko had somehow gotten used to the constant loss of his body.  
His friends on the other hand would get a little worried when he would faint out of nowhere.

Even though Yaru said she would turn him back to normal, he hasn't seen much progress from her part. In fact he hadn't seen her AT ALL lately.

"I swear if she's slacking off..."

This thought came into Hioko's mind for a moment, but then decided that he'd just call her later.

Now entering the school grounds the teenage boy parked his bike near the water fountain like everyday.  
With a speed he didn't know he had, he ran inside while pulling his backpack along. A lot of people were in the way, and Hioko kept repeating things like 'Sorry', 'Excuse me' & 'Pardon me!' to everyone in the hall.

Not even a minute later, he had reached classroom 3-B, where his 2 best friends were waiting for him.

"Morning Sleeping Beauty! Glad you could join us!" Mako snickered

"Ha ha very funny. Sorry though, my alarm went off again. I seriously need a new night clock"  
Hioko said with a glare and then a sigh.

"Correction. What you NEED is to get enough rest at night so you're body can recover" said Aiko who, surprisingly, wasn't wearing his glasses. Hioko's guess was that he might of forgotten them.

"Really guys I'm telling you that I'm better now!"

"Says the guy who keeps falling asleep during Math & fainting in the middle of P.E.!" Mako said joining in the conversation.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Aww excuses excuses! Forget about it let's just do this OK? Still. Be careful" Said Mako once again. After that the 3 of them stayed quiet, except for Making bickering once in a while.

Truth be told, Hioko was aware of all of this. It was another reason why he wanted for Yaru to fix him. If he kept going with these bad grades and relaxing in class, his parents with no doubt would send him to that private highschool in Okinawa.

He didn't want to be away from his friends. The only people that made him feel like he could be himself.  
And still with THEM he had to be 'Mr Iki'. Japan's next grand doctor.

That is why, whenever Hioko would slip out of his body, he'd take a little advantage of the situation and just run off for a bit in his spirit form. It may be irresponsible, but he didn't mind at all.

Kind of like later in the day.

/

"WOHOOOOO! HAHAHA YEAH!"

Math class suddenly got too boring for Hioko's liking. So what else can a teenager do?

Jumping from one wire to the other, the young boy kept playing some sort of Hop Scotch while laughing in pure bliss.

Never in his life had he ever felt so alive. What he was doing was wrong, he knew that. But there was also another part of him that wanted to know what it felt like to have some fun once in a while.

Out here no one could see him. He was a phantom after all. Plus, if someone found out he fell asleep during class, they'd think he was still tired due to the accident some weeks ago (People still couldn't believe he was feeling better in so little time).

Out here there were no rules.  
No responsibilities.  
No expectations.  
He was just Hioko. Plain, natural, nerdy Hioko.  
He could finally be himself.

"Wow!" his thoughts got cut short by a weird weather in the distance.  
The clouds were somewhat gray & black; you could also hear some thunder. But what was more surprising than anything, was the gigantic dinosaur looking creature. After some analyze, Hioko found out that this creature was a lot similar to the one chasing him & Yaru once.

"Phantom..."  
"These things can kill you..."

With that in mind, the boy remembered the whole situation at hand. He didn't even know how these things came to be real.  
This selfish thinking would cause his death for sure. The only logical way of doing this, would be to just keep looking for a way to be back to normal.

Roaming his hand through his pockets, the young Iki found his phone and started looking for a certain contact.  
Once he found it, he pressed the green button and suddenly it started to ring.

"Please answer Yaru..."

/

The scenery changes into one of a shrine. An old shrine in fact that the owner rarely showed up since it already had a place in the heavens.

It would usually get cleaned up during some times of the years such as holidays only for respect.  
But most of the time, homeless people would come here for shelter. It was a good idea, since phantoms at night are very powerful, but shrines would keep them away. Kind of like a barrier.

That is a reason why Yaru decided to stick around for a bit.

She went near the baskets full of holy water with a purple scar in the lower part of the elbow. Once she was there, the Goddess started to splash some bit of it so it could get clean.

"Ow! Stupid phantoms attacking out of nowhere. If I had a regalia I would of kicked their asses! Don't know who they're dealing with..."

The purple scar seemed to be evaporating slowly as Yaru kept blabbering. Some random people started walking by, but she paid no mind to them.

"At least it didn't happen before I could finish the job."

Subconsciously touching the strap of the backpack with her, Yaru let out a sigh mixed with relief and sorrow.

"That little kid though..."

 **FLASHBACK: 2 HOURS AGO~**

 _"_ _Alright let's get to it!"_

 _The young delivery God jumped from building to building, howling in the morning air. All the while Milord snuggled under her shirt._

 _After finally finding the feline, Yaru decided to use the number that was provided in the poster of the lost cat (Considering she had lost the prior one)_

 _She was very surprised when the little girl from before had answered. But was quickly replaced for who she assumed was the mother. Once explaining everything, the woman gave the address to her household, asking for the young woman to bring Milord back ASAP._

 _And that is why she's here. Searching for Sunny Blvd. in Mane Street #1590_

 _Many colorful houses could be seen from above, but the one she was looking for was a white one with a light blue ceiling. Many were white, but just one of them was the one that stood out._

 _Landing on the sidewalk of Mane Street, she began her search by ground. Maybe a different POV would be better?_  
 _It took a while and some direction asking, but finally after all of that, they were getting closer to the number._

 _"_ _1587... 1588...1589... 1590!"_

 _Indeed, the white house with blue ceiling was right there. The grass was a little too high and also the plants seemed to be unattended. The Goddess assumed it was because the parents worked a lot._

 _Near the front door was a 'Mona The Explorer' figure next to a bunch of other old toys from different cartoons._  
 _Bri 10, Milo & Stitch, My Little Mare, and many more._

 _An amused smile crept itself into Yaru's face. She was surprised she could actually remember most of the names._

 _"_ _I knew paying attention to other kids would come in handy." she thought._

 _Also there was a carpet that said 'Welcome' & a small silver doorbell in the opposite side of the window. Before she could press it though, some faint yelling could be heard. It took a moment for Yaru to realize that it was actually coming from inside. _

_Conveniently, the other window lead straight to where the yelling came from. There in the room was an old woman. She was in bed covered up with blankets and other pieces of ripped clothing._  
 _She appeared to be sleep talking and yelling._  
 _Yaru understood things like 'Stay away' & 'Don't take them from me' between the lines._

 _And that's when another woman came in. Unlike the other, this one seemed somewhat young. She was shaking the older woman to get her to wake up, which only earned her a shove. The older woman was now yelling at the younger one, saying things that Yaru didn't even want to know._

 _That's when she saw it._

 _An empty box of needles & other weird liquids. But that wasn't the shocking part. Among them, was a medicine the young Goddess knew too well. A medicine specifically used for an illness that didn't have any cure._

 _Alzheimer_

 _One of the illnesses that Yaru despised the most. The mere thought of you're brain slowly dying, and forgetting the most important things in your life like family & friends was something she couldn't understand. And she never would._

 _Now this picture made sense._  
 _Now she understood why the younger women had bags under her eyes._  
 _Now she understood why the little girl asked for her help._

 _These people needed all the money they could have. Perhaps that was why the house was so humble._

 _"_ _How could I try to take something from them?..."_

 _Even if 5 yen was practically nothing, even THAT would be better than having anything. There could also be the possibility that they would want to pay her the promised reward on the lost posters. Yaru understood the feeling of not having anything, and she didn't want anyone to feel it._

 _With that in mind, the Goddess went into action. Pressing the doorbell, she carefully placed the cat in the carpet and then flipped behind another building waiting._

 _It didn't even take a minute before a little kid with brown hair held in a bun opened the door. When she saw the cat in front of her, her eyes lit up instantly and then gave him a hug._

 _"_ _Milord! You're back! I knew you'd find a way home!"_

 _"_ _Honey, who is it?"_  
 _The woman with bags under her eyes appeared in the doorway._

 _"_ _Mom look! Milord is back! I told you he'd find a way!"_

 _"_ _Well would you look at that. Now that I realize it, someone called earlier right?"_

 _"_ _What's all this racket?!" spoke an older voice. Must of been the one with Alzheimer._

 _"_ _Grandma! It's Milord! He came home just like you said!"_

 _"_ _Milord? That the name of your cat little one? He seems like a troublemaker alright"_

 _"_ _Hahaha Grandma I told you his name yesterday!"_

 _"_ _Alright you two never mind that. Mom please go back to bed and you young lady give that cat a bath before playing with him"_

 _"_ _Whatever..." grumbled the old Lady._  
 _"_ _Ok Mom"_

 _Before closing the door to the household, the little girl looked up to the sky with an innocent smile grazing her lips._

 _"_ _Thank you Yaru-san..."_

 _And with that, the little girl closed the door, not noticing the figure that had a small smile on their lips while disappearing in the night sky._

 **END OF FLASHBACK~**

Once she had left the house, Yaru was pursued by phantoms again and took the ENTIRE night to lose them. She had done it, but obtaining some damage in the process.

"Where are spirits when you need them the most?"

She had to focus on her original task as well: Granting people's wishes so she could receive money and someday build her own shrine.  
But also a regalia was a crucial instrument that even a minor God like herself was expected to have.

Not having a shrine was hilarious, but not having a regalia was ridiculous.  
Disgrace in other words.

"Well, I'm just gonna have to keep going and see if I can find one around town"

With that said, the young Goddess teleported herself to the first thing that came in mind:  
The train station.

Many people came here in their everyday lives. Some for work, others for school and so on.  
Either way, it was the perfect place for everyone to see who she really was.

So she entered the first one that came, which would be the one of 2:30 pm. With no one noticing her presence, Yaru grabbed a marker from her backpack and started to write in the windows.

It was vandalism.  
Pure vandalism made by a God.

"Ah who cares either way! I'm trying to get customers."

Once she was done with one window, she moved to the next. And that went on the WHOLE train. Finally at the last one though, the young Goddess felt her pockets vibrating and with a gleeful smile she drew the phone out of it's confinement and answered with the usual trademark.

"Hello this is-!"

"Finally!"

"UGH!"

The sudden outburst from the person on the other line caused Yaru to fall back on her butt while some people already started to notice her presence.

She should have seen the ID before answering.

"W-Well if it isn't Mr. Iki? I'm kind of busy at the moment so if you could call later I'd re-"

"Don't give me the 'I'll call you later' speech! We need to talk Yaru"

"Well isn't that what we're doing right now?"

At this point, the blue eyed woman had already left the previous train and had somehow sneaked into another.  
She is currently trying to get her phone number in another window, but since the train was moving and one hand was already in the device, it was kind of difficult to stay steady.

"That's not what I meant! We must meet face to face. Otherwise WHEN ARE YOU GONNA GRANT MY WISH?!"

"AHHHH! Aw man.."

The yelling mixed with the commotion in the train caused Yaru to once again, lose balance and scribble her number wrong with some doodles on top.  
Trying to fix it, she replied.

"Listen I already told you! I'm busy with other stuff at the moment so please give me some time OK?!"

There was a pause in the other line, and for a moment she thought that the kid had ACTUALLY hung up on her.  
Until she heard him ask a very despised question.

"Yaru are you really a God?"

That was the last straw. Using her abilities, she was in front of the boy in an instant. They were in some sort of park in front of a lake. A very lovely sight.

Hioko was wearing his school uniform, so her guess was that maybe he had finished already.  
If only she knew...  
He was in his body so that was also a good thing.  
Then, remembering what made her come in the first place brought a frown upon her face.

"How dare you say such a thing?! How many people can do that huh? Appear out of thin air! You should be worshipping me right now in fact! Don't judge a book by it's cover!"

"The only one who would worship you would have to be very desperate..."  
The boy mumbled under his breath but it still caught the Goddess' attention.

Yaru could see some people walking by and looking at Hioko in a weird way while walking away.  
She could have sworn that they said 'Poor boy something terrible must have happened for him to talk to himself'

Alright that was uncalled for.

And apparently Hioko had heard as well, but simply brushed it off while looking her way.

"I'm sorry. But still I paid for your service so I expect some sort of progress. Otherwise..."

"NO REFUNDS! Just to make it clear..." she yelled while protectively holding her bottle full of yen coins towards her chest.  
With the look Hioko was giving her it was obvious that he wouldn't try anything.  
With that she calmed down and continued.

"But still... Many other important jobs with phantoms have been useless without a regalia. So I can't continue if I don't have one!"

"A Regalia?"

"Yes. A regalia is a spirit that serves a God for all eternity. They're important tools when it comes to combat"

"What happened to your last one?"

"He qu- I fired him! He wasn't good for anything either way! Hahahaha! Shames on him because I will become the most popular God in the world you'll see!"

With Yaru giggling in her fantasies, Iki Hioko started to put 2 & 2 together, and then realized this could probably be a great opportunity to get her to start doing something.

"So in other words, if you get a regalia will you finally focus on my wish?"

Yaru stopped laughing again to stare at the young teen in confusion. But eventually, she replied.

"Guess so. But I haven't had luck in days. It could take a while so don't get desperate. So... Gotta go back to the promoting! See ya!"

"H-Hey wait!"

But it was too late.  
Just like how she came in a blue light out of nowhere, she disappeared the same way, leaving poor Hioko by himself while yelling curses at the sky.

Even so, he had some progress now. Yaru seemed to be the type to be a little lazy, so she would need a push in the right direction.

His mission was pretty clear to him.  
Find a regalia.  
How hard could it be?

/

"Um hi there! Would you like to- no wait! Come back!"

The teenage boy started to chase after the purple colored phantom all across the street. His body was safe and sound back at home thanks to some help from his friends.

Since he never woke up in Math, Aiko & Makoto took responsibility and 'escorted' him back home. Hioko knew this because he had gone home and saw his body placed already in bed.

Back to right now though, the little phantom had escaped and had left poor Iki-san helpless.

Maybe looking for a regalia was a LITTLE more complicated than he had previously thought.  
He had spent the whole afternoon searching among the city many phantoms and asking if some of them would want to be a God's regalia.  
He had got different responses.

Some growled.

Some didn't say anything.

Other would float away after attacking him.

Or others did everything from the above.

Now that it was night time, he started to question his decision and considered going back home.

"I didn't know this would be a waste of time... Now I'm stuck like this all because of Yaru!"

 **"** **yArU you SaY?"**

That voice was like the one he had heard at the hospital not that long ago.  
Curiosity was stronger and he turned around.

A blue crab-looking phantom was staring right at him. Millions of eyeballs full of nothing but curiosity and despair. It kept mumbling things like **"S-She"** & **"HELp hEr" ...**

It was somewhat of a frightening scene.  
B

ut for some reason, Hioko was already dialing.

"What is it now kid?"

"U-Um sorry to be calling so late... But I think I found you a regalia."

"Wait what?!"

That's when suddenly, the blue bright light that he was used to came back, and Yaru appeared out of thin air with the phone in hand.  
With a loud gulp and a nervous smile, he confronted her.

"W-What do you think about him?"

Her expression changed from annoyed to blank in a second when she gave it a glance.  
And before he knew it, the teen was being pulled away.

The Goddess' hand was tightly wrapped around his, as they ran from the monstrous thing that was already chasing them. The scolding came a moment later.

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?! WHAT'S IN THAT HEAD OF YOURS!?"

"Well you said you wouldn't help me unless you found a regalia so I found you one!"

"IDIOT! DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT A REGALIA IS?!"

"Of course I do! You told me it was a spirit so I brought you a spirit!"

"YOU BLIND!? THAT'S A PHANTOM! A HEARTLESS CREATURE THAT WANTS TO FEED OFF OF YOUR NEGATIVE FEELINGS! WHAT I NEED IS A PURE SPIRIT!"

"And how was I supposed to know!?"

The phantom was gaining up on them. It's claws were trying to trap them from time to time. And when it hit Hioko's head, that was the last straw for him.

The teen jumped in mid air to kick the creature's body with his left leg. He knew he succeed once he heard it's high pitched shriek.  
Once back in the floor, Hioko turned his attention to Yaru, and gave her a cheeky grin.

"Don't worry about me! I got it under control!"

Before he could do 'Jungle Savate', the teen felt another grab in his tail causing him to cry in pain. Yaru had grabbed it and pulled him back against a wall.

"What did I tell you about going against a phantom?! You could die if that cord is cut!"

"Then what are we supposed to do!?"

When she was about to respond, the green looking phantom used it's claws to strike at her. She was able to avoid it, but still got her hands hurt in the process.

"Yaru! You OK?!"

"Y-Yeah!"

"How do we fight that thing!?"

"We can't... Without a regalia.."

"Why did you fire the last one then?! Heck, why don't you even have one now?!"

"Shut up OK! It's not that easy! I've been trying to fi-!"

The Goddess cur her own sentence short as she abruply stopped, Hioko yelling at some distance. He kept saying 'What are you doing?!' But she couldn't hear him. Her eyes were fixed on 'it'.

There, on the other side of the street, illuminated by light poles and next to a mailbox, was a fluffy ball of light.  
Small and innocent.  
A spirit.  
A possible regalia.  
A...

"A girl..." Yaru spoke to herself.  
"Probably in her teens..."

Even if that were a difficult age, they weren't many options left either way. The phantom was hot on their heels, and Yaru doubted that Hioko would be able to keep it distracted much longer.

"She will do."

With that said, the Goddess quickly crossed to the other side in a matter of seconds with a jump. Landing on top of the pole, she outstreched her arm pointing her fingers at the little spirit.  
The fingers emitted a glow as Yaru spoke.

"You, with nowhere to go and nowhere to return. I grant you a place to belong. My name is Yaru!"

The Goddess kept her fingers in place while her eyes started to glow as well. Then she went on with drawing a symbol in the air.

Hioko could be seen in the background standing behind Yaru a couple of streets away. The phantom had ignored him a while ago and went against Yaru. For some reason though, it hadn't attacked yet. Like if it knew that something important was happening.

"Bearing a posthumous name you shall remain here.  
With this name I make thee my servant.  
With this name and its alternate, I use my life to make thee a regalia!"

The symbol had been completed and then Yaru placed it upon the spirit now known as her regalia.

"Thou Art Yuki! As regalia Setsu! Come Sekki!"

The symbol 'Yuki' was placed upon the little ball of light. It's light got even brighter and now started to vibrate.  
Suddenly, the light moved even faster and now headed her way. It stopped in her hand, and Yaru had to look away because of it.

Once the light had died down, the Goddess dared to look. And what she saw was impressive.

The weapon in her hand was a very elegant looking katana. It wasn't that short neither that long. The handle was enveloped in a couple of torn bandages. But it seemed to be very sharp indeed.

It was perfect.

But now came the moment she dreaded the most.  
A picture started to form in her head, and she just let it sink in.

 _First, appeared a young girl who was hugging a middle aged woman and a boy who seemed to be around her age._

 _Then, the same girl standing in a doorway with a man next to her._

 _Then, the man passed out in a couch with empty beer cans next to him._

 _Then, the girl being ripped off of her clothes by the same drunken man. A high pitched scream was heard and a couple of deep moans as well._

 _Then, the girl laying naked in bed with just some bandages covering her bruises._

 _Then, the man walking around with an empty wallet in his hand._

 _Then, the girl huddled inside what seemed to be a closet._

 _Then, a gray cat._

 _Then, the girl running away from the man who appeared to be angry._

 _"_ _SAY IT!"_  
 _"_ _I'M SORRY!"_  
 _"_ _SORRY FOR WHAT?!"_  
 _"_ _I'M SORRY FOR BEING BORN!"_

 _And for last, an immobile image of the girl, smiling shyly while wearing a high school uniform._

Once the sequence was over, Yaru could feel some tears gathering up in her eyes. She was never the type to get emotional over something, but this girl's life used to be a living hell.  
While thinking all of this, she didn't seem to notice Hioko's cry of distress until the phantom that was following them devoured her.

In that instant, the teenage boy's mind went completely blank. A minute ago the young Goddess had a long amazing sword, and now she had been taken away in a flash.

He was worried.  
But not about himself.  
But about her.  
He somehow didn't want her to leave. Not yet.

"YARU!"

That scream broke through the night sky. And to the boy's surprise, the young woman seemed to be answering his call.

Because before he knew it, the monster had been cut in half and was now being turned into another beautiful firework show.

Yaru hopped back on top of the pole, only to fall to the ground once again.  
Worried sick, Hioko ran towards the edge of the building he was at and stared at the poor Goddess' form. She had her new obtained weapon in one hand, and her other arm was over her face.

She stayed immobile for a bit, but then jumped back up while furiously rubbing her eyes. The teenage boy caught some liquid in her cheeks and then imagined what could have happened.

"Was she... crying?"

/

After pursing and finally obtaining his body back, Hioko went back to the scene. The phantom was finally killed, but Yaru got somewhat hurt. But he was soon surprised with the sight of her pouring some water over her wound.

"What are you doing?"

"Cleaning the blight."

Once the rinsing was over, indeed the purple bruise disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Water can clean it?!"

Yaru let out a sigh for being so exhausted. But then gave the katana next to her a smile.

"At least I got something good out of all of this. We were lucky enough to stumble across a pure spirit. The blade is sharp and has a perfect length."

After getting over his shock, the boy approached the gigantic looking katana in awe.

"So THIS is a regalia? It's so cool! Though it honestly looks more like a naked blade."

The Goddess let out a small chuckle full of amusement. And once again, a smile graced her lips.

"Her name is Yuki."

With that said, the blade began to glow once again, making both subjects look away. When their view was cleared again, they stared at the place where the weapon USED to be (Mostly Hioko).

There, in a white kimono, stood a young girl. She appeared to be around the age of 14 or 15.  
She had shoulder length blond hair that seemed to flow perfectly in the snowy weather.  
Her eyes were a beautiful shade of red/orange. Kind of like a sunset.

She stood confused for a bit, but then suddenly sneezed and wrapped her arms around herself. The snowy weather was indeed very pretty, but also very cold with someone with so little clothing.

That's when Yaru went into action, and made her way to the shivering teen. When she was in a respectful distance, she began to unzip her jacket and also spoke.

"Yuki. I'm Yaru. I'm a God and from now on you're new master. I brought you back from the Far Shore to serve as my regalia. Here."

The Goddess got a bit closer and then wrapped the jacket around the Regalia's shivering form. And then, went back again to give the girl some space.

"You don't have to be afraid anymore."

The girl known as 'Yuki' merely stared at the Goddess in question. Before she could wrap herself though, she pushed the jacket away for a moment with a frown.  
And then whispered to herself.

"Smells like sweat..."

Both Hioko & Yaru heard, considering it was late at night and the streets were quiet.

Yaru had a mini heart attack while Hioko tried to contain his laughter. The Goddess had heard that as well.

"IT'S NOT FUNNY!"

"Hahaha I think it is!"

With a pout on her face, she merely opted by turning away. The young Iki kept with his laughing torture, but then slowly ceased after staring at the young regalia.

Yuki had the jacket wrapped around herself this time, with a blush adorning her face. Something told him that it wasn't because of the cold.

Feeling guilty now, Hioko took off his own jacket and approached the girl. Showing it to her with outstreched arms, he said:

"Then perhaps you'd prefer this one instead?"

The girl stared at him in disbelief. Like if she wouldn't expect for him to do such a thing. You could tell she was hesitant. But with a reassuring smile, she took a risk and grabbed the offered piece of clothing.

She put it on and then blew some air into her hands showing a puff of warm breath. Then, she turned to him again and softly said:

"T-Thank you..."

Then, Yuki turned towards the Goddess who was still pouting in the background. She handed the jacket back to it's owner by muttering a quick 'Thanks anyway'.

Both Hioko & Yaru were impressed with the girl's somewhat politeness.

But only Yaru knew the reason behind it.

/

 **Sooooo this one was shorter than others i've done XD**  
 **But I finished didn't I? It's better than last times 'One Month' hiatus!**

 **~Alice :)**


	4. Chapter 4

The early morning air was very fresh. It still appeared to be night time, for there was no one in sight, nor any sunlight.

The only ones who could be seen in the city were a Goddess dressed in a tracksuit, and her newfound regalia.

Hioko had left earlier thanks to Yaru's pleading since he had school the next day. The young Goddess didn't want him to pay for her mistake.  
It might have been his fault for bringing the phantom, but it was mainly her fault for telling him about the Far Shore.  
Which reminded her that she still had to grant his wish.

No matter what, there had to be a way.

Now, in the early morning, both females were looking around for new clothing. Even the blue eyed woman knew that Yuki needed something more comfy.

The regalia was standing next to an alleyway full of many trashcans where they could find things people didn't want anymore.  
Yaru called it saving.  
Yuki called it vandalism.

"Hey Yuki! Check this one out! I think it's cute, don't you?"

The blond haired girl looked up to her new master and merely stared at what was in front of her.

It was a worn out, small size sweater. A dark blue color with white stripes that now seemed to be gray. What bothered Yuki a bit was the logo it had.

'Capypa Land!' it read. And it had the image of what appeared to be some sort of... Bear? It was very weird.

The young girl had never heard of it, so her guess was that it was a new place that was recently created after her death.

"Um... It's.. Weird.."

A scowl formed itself in Yaru's face, so she took the sweater away and replied:

"Fine, I'll wear it! Teenagers these days..."

Yuki didn't say anything, but just wrapped the sweater Hioko had given her around herself a little bit tighter. The morning air was chilly, so she wanted to find something ASAP.

Deciding to help the Goddess on her quest, the young regalia walked towards another un-searched trashcan.

After a couple of hours, she had finally found something she liked. A light blue sweater with a pair of gray worn out sneakers. Also a pair of shorts that had a monkey logo in them (She wanted something warmer but couldn't find anything decent enough).  
And to complete the outfit, she placed a cotton ball beanie over her head, that covered her ears perfectly.

Once she was dressed, Yaru complimented with things like 'You're so cute I could eat you!' and stuff of the matter. After that, they headed to find something to eat.

The young regalia felt relieved for she was starving!  
But that's when Yaru showed up with a sardine placed in a trashcan top as a plate.

"What is this..?"

"What do you think? Breakfast of course!"

Staring back in disbelief, Yuki honestly didn't know what to think. She considered leaving it, but her stomach told her otherwise.  
So with courage, the blond took a small bite of the hairy fish. She wanted to barf, but instead forced it down her throat.

" _I didn't know I was so desperate..."_

"Meow.."

The sound caused the little blond to look up. A little far away from her, was a white cat. It 'Meow''d again but with more force.  
Staring between both her 'plate' and the feline, Yuki made up her mind and slowly approached it with the half sardine in hand.

"Hey there.. You want this right? You can gave it."

She spoke softly, but the cat seemed hesitant. With a reassuring smile, the regalia spoke again:  
"Its OK. I don't like it that much either way."

The cat stared for a bit, until it finally grabbed the half eaten fish from her palm and retreated to start eating.

"Hey!"

The blond haired girl looked up at the voice that called her. Yaru didn't seem pleased.

"What do you think your doing? You should be thankful that I found food in this place! So you just give it like its nothing huh? We'll see about th-!"

"U-Um..."

"What now?"

The teenage girl pointed behind Yaru, and only then did the Goddess notice the cat in question taking HER fish as well.

"O-Oi!"

The fight between them began, and Yuki couldn't do anything but stare in amusement.  
In the end, the feline took Yaru's food as well and simply ran off.  
The Goddess' stomach rumbled again just like Yuki's.

"The cat was hungry... So I just gave him what he needed. What's wrong with that?"  
Yuki questioned with a scowl.

The Goddess was about to talk back, but then remembered how the girl loved these types of animals. With a sigh, she simply said:

"Don't sacrifice your health for others who don't deserve it. OK?"

The scowl disappeared from the blond's face, and she just considered what she meant. She couldn't understand, but just nodded to let Yaru know that she had heard her.

" _It's just food. He needs it more than I do. It's not like I NEED to eat..."_

* **Grumble** *

" _Or... Maybe just a bit.."_

"Don't worry Yuki-chan! I have a plan to get us some real food!"

Yaru was back at being her cheerful self. While dialing her phone, the Goddess waited patiently. Then suddenly, someone replied:

" **Hello?"**

With a pleading look in her face, Yaru began her speech.

"Hioko would you be a gentlemen and lend us some money?"

Yuki face-palmed at her master's bluntness. An odd way to start the day.

/

" _What did I do to deserve this?"_

Iki Hioko would not stop questioning himself even after entering the small restaurant, Yaru & Yuki trailing behind with the older dancing around in happiness.

The Goddess had called him earlier for help in their situation. After hearing her side of the story, he couldn't help but feel bad for Yuki. The blond had just started her life as a regalia, so she deserved at least a proper welcome. And good food was part of the deal.

So thanks to that (and also taking it as in advantage to bribe Yaru into listening to his wish) the black haired boy had brought them both to a very comfortable restaurant.  
It was good and also with a very calm atmosphere.

They took a table near the window. Both females had gone to the bathroom while Hioko waited patiently for a waitress.

Being in his own thoughts, the boy never noticed the Goddess sneak up on him.

"Thank you for bringing us here Hioko-kun! I knew you'd be compassionate!"

With a glare, the teenage boy spoke with a firm tone:

"I hope that considering this 'favor' you will pay attention to my wish."

"Oh yeah, of course."

Shrugging her shoulders, she kept stretching and then placed both her arms above her head trying to relax.

The black haired boy was about to reply that she shouldn't be acting that way in a public place, until his hands were suddenly covered with a warm texture.

Looking down at his hands, Hioko noticed it was his sweater folded neatly. That's when he noticed the blond regalia that came back from the bathroom. She bowed once, got up, and made her way to the seat next to Yaru.

Hioko followed her with his gaze as she took the seat next to the window and simply stared outside. He didn't know if he should be grateful or concerned.

"Anything you'd like to talk about?"

Yaru's voice brought the teen back to reality and he just shook his head in a way to say no. The Goddess kept an intense stare, but then let it go once a waitress had gotten close.

"Welcome young sir! I hope you feel comfortable in your visit!" Replied the brown haired woman while placing a glass of icy water in the table.

"Ah yes, than-

"Excuse me miss, but we still need some water here!"  
Yaru said with no care in the world while nudging Yuki's right side just to prove her point.

The waitress in question looked they're way in confusion, but then yelped in surprise and started apologizing repeatedly.

When she left to get the extra water, Hioko said:

"I thought normal people couldn't see you."

"Its not like that. We're not invisible. We're just hard to notice."

Noticing that the teen wasn't getting the point, Yaru sat straight in her seat and stared at the black haired boy.

"For example, how many waiters are there in the restaurant?"

That questionnaire caught him off guard. He was about to look behind him and count them, until the Goddess told him 'No peeking!'

So, sitting straight again, the boy said the first number that came in mind.

"Um...2?"

The blue eyed woman shook her head with a smirk and pointed behind him.

When he turned around, Hioko saw the DOUBLE of waiters he had said before.

"4 of them?"

"Yup. Think about it that way. You didn't even remember all of the faces of these waiters.  
And when you walk on the street, do you remember the faces of ALL the people you're passing by? Just like that, we from the Far Shore blend in the crowd. People just forget about us in the end."

That explanation seemed reasonable enough, but the teenage boy couldn't help but feel that it appeared to be a lonely way of 'living'.

Even so, his train of thought was interrupted when the waitress from before came back with 2 icy glasses of water. She apologized once again, and then asked if they were ready to order.

"Oh BTW. You both can order as much as you like. Its on me."  
Hioko said with a smile.

"Thank you Hioko! We'll try to not take advantage of your generosity! Right Yuki-chan?"

That tone gave him chills for some reason, but he hoped for the best.

It couldn't be THAT bad.

/

" _Me and my big mouth..."_

Hioko had ordered a simple dish of sushi with rice balls (considering he already had breakfast) just because he didn't want to be impolite.

On the other hand, right in front of him, were 2 young girls who weren't very visible thanks to the mountain of dishes that they were eating.

Sushi, salads, pizza, hamburgers, and many more. Yaru was the one with more devotion in her eating, leaving the chopsticks behind and just grabbing some pieces with her bare hands.

Yuki wasn't that far behind. Though unlike her master, the blond DID try her best to use the chopsticks for manners. But it was at such an incredible speed that Hioko wasn't able to keep up.

"You do know you're GIRLS right?"

It sounded harsher than he had intended it to be, but it was the truth. The delivery Goddess looked up from her plate full of spaghetti and, after slurping some bit of it, she replied.

"Of course we know! As a matter of fact, you shouldn't be saying these type of things. That's NO way to speak to a lady!"

Letting out an exasperated sigh, the teenage boy rubbed his temples with a slurry smile in his face. Thinking about 'Yaru' and the word 'lady' in the same sentence was kind of odd.

It was true. Yaru was somewhat of a tomboy. You could easily tell just by the way she dressed. Sweaters, shorts, boots. Not very feminine actually. And her attitude was the icing on the cake.

Yet still, that same attitude made her extremely adorable and somewhat pretty. And Hioko had NEVER referred to a girl as 'pretty' so that was saying a lot.

Its not that he didn't like girls. Many of them were attractive. But he'd never been the one to date so there was no point in saying such things.

But Yaru was very different. She was pretty in a weird way. And he kind of liked it.

"Could you at least chew slower? You're gonna get diarrhea if you're stomach can't digest it."

The pink eyed boy took a sip of his green tea when the Goddess came to him with a comeback.

"Doesn't matter. Gods don't need to poop."

 _ **SPIT!**_

* **10 MINUTES LATER~** *

Hioko stood at the doorway of the restaurant they had attended to. Yuki was already outside waiting for Yaru just like he was.

The teenage boy had insisted for her to go pay at the counter considering SHE was the one who got carried away the most.  
So, giving her the money, he pushed the blue eyed woman towards the reception lady.  
But still, he decided to stick around in case Yaru planned on running away with the money.

"Ohhh these are free right? Can I grab one?"  
Yaru said while pointing at a jar full of free lollipops for customers. The reception lady nodded politely and that was enough for the Goddess to start filling her pockets.

With another exasperated sigh, the boy turned from the door and went outside. She would be there a while. Might as well keep the blond regalia company.

Speaking of her, once he was out, Hioko saw the young girl leaning against a tree with her bangs covering her left eye. She blew some air trying to move it, but it would fall into place again.  
When she noticed she was no longer alone, the regalia composed herself and gave a court small bow at the young boy while mumbling:

"T-Thank you for the food..."

Noticing her nervousness & discomfort, Hioko merely smiled at her and said:

"No problem. That's what friends are for right?"

After that, he extended his hand towards her in an attempt to get a handshake. Then he spoke again:

"I don't think we were properly introduced. My name is Iki Hioko. But just call me Hioko if you will. The other way would be TOO formal he he.."

After a while of hesitation, the blond girl shook it and then stayed silent for a bit.

"Hioko-kun? Can I ask you something?"

"You already are."

"Hehe I guess... How do you know her?"

At first, the black haired boy didn't understand who 'her' was, but then after looking in the direction the other was pointing at, he understood.

"Oh. You mean Yaru. Well you see, I kind of lose my physical body from time to time now. And she promised me she'd help with it. So I'm sticking around for a bit."

"I'm sorry for your luck."

While rubbing the back of his neck, the boy laughed awkwardly at the girl's bluntness.

"Its not that bad I guess.."  
Then he turned Yuki's way.

"How about you? How did you-.?.."

Suddenly, the half-phantom stopped himself by biting his lower lip. The girl with orange eyes looked up at Hioko expecting his question, but it never came.

All he could think about was the day Yaru had chosen her to be her regalia. He still couldn't understand what a regalia WAS. At first, he thought it was just a weapon. But now it seemed that they could actually be people.

With feelings, but dead.  
Did they even now they were dead?

"Sorry.. But... How did you...? Um..."

Understanding the meaning of his question, the blond thought for a moment before replying:

"I dunno... I mean I know I died.. But I just don't remember how.. All I can remember is turning into a blade. This is practically all I can remember."

" _That must be a hard feeling..."_

Not being able to remember who you are, or in this case, were.  
And Yuki already seemed like a very nice person. So maybe when she was alive she was like that as well.

"I'm sorry."

It was the first thing that came into mind, and Hioko mentally kicked himself for being so insensitive. Fortunately, Yuki didn't seem offended by it for she just replied 'Its ok'.

Awkward silence filled the air, and that's when the boy realized that Yaru was taking longer than necessary. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, a white fluffy cat made it's way between the Regalia's legs making her giggle in amusement.

"Hey! You're the sardine thief aren't you?"

She knelt down at the cat's level and began scratching behind its ears, earning many purrs from the small animal.

Hioko chuckled at the scene unfolding before him, as he made his way towards them and knelt down next to the blond.

"I'm guessing you like cats then?"

"I guess. Not sure if there's a memory about that though."

"Hahaha cats are pretty cute. Like you."

Even though he meant it as a compliment, Yuki couldn't help but blush about it. And that's when she realized that Hioko was actually good looking.

"AHH!"

The yell caused both subjects to look towards the source. There, in the restaurant doorway, was the Delivery Goddess in all her glory. Pockets stuffed with sweet goods and a lollipop in her mouth. With a hand grasping the back of her neck in pain.

"Yuki! You just had a dirty thought didn't you?!"

The girl in question turned a new shade of red while trying to avoid eye contact.

"Listen young lady. Masters & Regalias share mind & body! So I can tell whenever you have some messed up thoughts!"

"What do you mean they share 'mind & body'?"  
Hioko's interest perked again.

"Gods can read they're regalias like books. They're feelings, thoughts, everything. And it hurts to see that my little Yuki isn't as innocent as I thought."

Yaru finished her explanation with a knowing smirk. The blond's face changed from embarrassed to angry in a mere second.

"Shut up!"

* **RING!** *

With a swift movement, the Goddess took her phone ignoring the young girl's protests.

"Hello! The Yaru God here! Fast, affordable & reliable! Thank you for calling and what can I do for you?"

Grumbling under her breath, the regalia returned to her original spot next to Hioko, a blush still visible in her cheeks.  
A minute later, the Goddess placed her phone back in her pocket and grabbed the blond's wrist.

"Good news Yuki! We have a job!"

That's when Hioko remembered the reason why he brought them here.

"W-Wait! What about MY job?!"

But it was too late. Yaru had already taken Yuki's hand and was ready to teleport. And because of that, the teenage boy held tightly around Yaru's waist to prevent her from going anywhere. But that only caused him to tag along, leaving his physical body behind.

/

The peace & quiet of a nearby shrine was interrupted by our 3 heroes crashing on top of one another.  
Yuki made it safely, while Yaru fell on her back with Hioko on top of her. A blush crept itself on they're faces, but the goddess tried to push him away to prevent any further embarrassment.

"Seriously? Why do you keep tagging along with me?!"

Recovering from the blush himself, the young Iki stood up with an intense glare boring into the woman's also glaring blue eyes.

"If it bothers you so much then grant my wish already and I'll leave you alone!"

" _ **When the East Wind blows, the cherry blossoms bloom..."**_

Remembering the situation at hand, Yaru looked around trying to recognize the place they had teleported to.

A strong wind passed by forcing the 3 of them to look away. And after that, the cherry blossom trees began to bloom in a beautiful pattern. Even so, they could all sense that someone with great power was behind it.

"A trap?!"  
Yaru spoke in disbelief.

The wind came back, but this time it closed the windows, doors and all possible nearby exits. They were trapped.  
Yaru stood protectively in from of both Hioko & Yuki.  
Hioko was a human, while Yuki didn't know how to fight properly yet.

"Stay behind me! Both of you!"

" _ **The moonlight in the darkness, can be a friend or an ally..."**_

" _There it is again."_  
Hioko thought.

He had heard it the first time, before the cherry blossoms bloomed. A voice repeating a sort of poem.

" _Both poems are from Shizukika-san. An old philosopher that died centuries ago... Nobody should remember him... Unless.."_

After a while of thinking that was only a matter of seconds, the boy's pink orbs widened in awe as he spoke:

"A-Are you... Tenjin-sama..?"

The strong gusts of wind stopped, and were replaced with a deep female chuckle. The doors to the shrine opened once again, and from it appeared an older looking woman.

With white hair that went all the way past her waist, almost to the ground, but held by many hair clips. The top hat had a dark blue color with a symbol that read 'Learn'.

A long traditional royal kimono was placed upon her with a couple of floral designs. A pair of sandals were there as well and she used a small smoking pipe that seemed to be made of gold.

"Wel well Yaru! You found yourself an educated human. Greetings little one."

Surprised that he was actually right, both he & Yuki spoke at the same time:

"Lady Tenjin the Goddess of Learning!"

Both teenagers made their way towards the older woman and bowed to her feat, earning more chuckles from her and a scowl from Yaru.

"Now now please settle down! There's no reason for you to bow Iki Hioko-san. Not you either little one."

The boy in question stared up in disbelief and awe.

"Y-You know my name?"

"Of course. I know everything that happens in the Near Shore. Many people come to me everyday after all."

Yaru felt a stab in the heart when he saw Hioko so amazed by the 'old fosile' as she called her.  
She wished he could admire her that way too.

Turning towards the little blond next to the pink eyed boy, the Goddess of Learning asked:

"I'm guessing you're Yaru's new companion. What's her name Yaru?"

Gritting her teeth silently for the smirk that was obvious in the older's lips, she answers gloomily:

"Yuki."

Ignoring the venom in her voice, Tenjin looked towards her left, calling her own regalias.

All of them, or most of them at least were males. They introduced themselves with names like 'Kayu', 'Cheiyu', 'Neyu', etc.

After the many introductions, Tenjin once again turned towards Yuki and spoke.

"I suppose you're not aware of the many things you must do as a regalia am I correct?"

With a nod of confirmation coming from the orange eyed girl, Tenjin spoke again:

"Alright then. Kogyu. Step forth please."

Everyone stared at the crowd of male regalias again, and from it came a young man with black hair, dark eyes, and 4 dots plastered on his forehead. He spoke with a firm yet caring tone:

"For starters Yuki-san, it is disrespectful for a regalia to bow to another God if her own master is present."

It took a moment for the thought to kick in, and thus once she did, Yuki stood up quickly dusting her clothing and staring at her feet.

"Why did you call anyway Tenjin?"

Yaru came closer and stayed next to Yuki, while Hioko stood up himself and dusted his pants.  
Lady Tenjin spoke in an almost hurt tone with a bit of mockery:

"Such insolence Yaru-chan! Can't I just call an old friend for some good memories? I Also thought that you'd be more than willing to take it since I believe your not that busy at the moment, yes?"

All the while, the older Goddess held a 100 yen bill and waved it in the track suited one's face.

But after a while of taunting, Tenjin actually grabbed a 5 yen coin and tossed it at Yaru, who caught it with no problem at all.

"My newest regalia will show you the job's location, since i am pretty busy myself. Please wait for a moment if you will."

"My Lady."

The other regalia who was known as Kogyu had spoken and held a bit of worry in his voice:

"I believe Seyu is still TOO much of a newcomer. Do you desire for me to escort the Yaru God instead?"

"Thank you for your concern Kogyu but I think he's more than capable. Plus, Seyu is pretty familiar with Ms. Yaru here."

That perked Yaru's curiosity. Who would that be anyway?

Tenjin let go of the smoke pipe that was in her mouth, and said the word 'Kenyu'.  
Suddenly, the pipe was enlightened in a blinding light.  
Then, instead of a pipe, stood a young man with black hair and dark green eyes.

Very familiar eyes actually... 

"TOMOKI?!"

Indeed, Yaru's old regalia stood there in all his glory. Tenjin pat the man's back, while his eye twitched for a bit due to annoyance, but then composed himself.

"My name is Seyu."

But Yaru wouldn't budge.

"TOMOKI HOW DARE YOU LEAVE ME FOR SOMEONE LIKE THIS!?"

"My name is _Seyu."_

"SEYU MY ASS! YOU ALWAYS TOLD ME THAT YOU DIDN'T LIKE BEING TOUCHED! BUT OBVIOUSLY YOU CAN ADAPT WITH DIFFERENT PEOPLE HUH?!"

That was it.

"SHUT IT! I DECIDE WHATEVER I LIKE!"

During the whole deal, Yuki & Hioko stared at the sidelines with confused expressions. Until the young Iki decided to speak to the other male regalia:

"U-Um are you...An ex-boyfriend?"

The ones discussing turned towards Hioko with angry looks and replied with a firm: NO!

This time Yuki guessed:

"An ex-husband then. There must be something between you both."

Again, the answer was: NO!

Bickering continued between them both as everyone else kept silent with amused expressions. After a while though, Tenjin made her way towards her regalia and pat his back for comfort.

The green eyed man understood what his master meant, thus he took a deep breath and spoke again:

"I apologize Yaru-san. Let's forget about this please. There are things we must discuss regarding they job."

Yaru stared at Seyu for a minute, but then shrugged her shoulders with a sigh, indicating for him to lead.  
So that's what Seyu did.  
Once Yuki, Hioko & himself said their goodbye's, the black haired regalia took them towards they're destination.

During the walk, Yuki kept asking questions about Yaru to the older regalia. Things such as 'Has she always been unemployed?' or 'How did she treat you before, Seyu-san?'.

Seyu answered in the most polite way he could without hurting anyone's feelings.

It didn't take long before they arrived at a local train station.

"Here we are."

Taking in the surroundings, Hioko didn't understand what kind of job could they possibly have here. So, pretending like if it were HIS task, he asked:

"What seems to be the problem here?"

Glancing once at the teenage boy, Seyu turned his way towards Yaru instead.

"Phantoms have been attacking lately. Tenjin-sama believes it could be because of all the negative energy that keeps pestering around these type of areas. Even though its common, we must stop it."

The Goddess kept a straight face during her ex-regalia's speech. But once he was done, she did a left turn and started walking away.

This was unexpected.

"W-Wait a minute! Where do you think you're going?!"

With her hands in her pockets, the blue eyed woman spoke:

"Somewhere else of course. This job ain't worth my time."

"How can you say such a thing!? Its disrespectful! After everything that Tenjin-sama has done for you!"

"Why do you even have to kill phantoms?"

Hioko broke into the conversation again, and this time Seyu wasn't ignoring him. But somewhat glaring at him.

"You're Iki Hioko-kun, am I right? I don't think its a good idea for you to mangle with things of the Far Shore."

Pointing at his spiritual tail for emphasis, Hioko replied:

"I doubt I can simply forget about what I've seen until now. I apologize for interrupting, but if phantoms are negative spirits that only people from the Far Shore can see, why is it important for them to be destroyed?"

"Because thanks to them, new names are being added to the list of suicidal people."

The boy's pink orbs widened a bit after hearing this. It was very common in Japan for people to end they're lives out of nowhere, but he never imagined it would have anything to do with all of this.

Seyu continued:

"You are correct that phantoms cannot be seen by human beings, but they can influence deeply on somebody's behavior. They feed off of people's negative thoughts and stimulate them, until someone is so depressed that they can't take it anymore."

That made sense if you thought it through. The raven had to admit it.  
Seyu must have noticed Hioko's defeated expression, for he continued to pursue Yaru.  
After many insults coming from Tenjin's regalia, the Goddess replied with something that broke the teenager's heart.

"If people want to die, let them die. They are useless now. They can't even become regalias."

Even Yuki flinched on the spot because of the cold tone that her master was using. Not wanting to listen to this any longer, the young Iki made his way past Seyu and straight towards Yaru; grabbing her sleeve.

"So you're not gonna help them?"

With the same cold eyes, she spoke:

"Help who?"

With an angry expression, the young boy used his height to his advantage to look down at the Goddess.

"Aren't you a God? You're supposed to help people!"

"They're just a waste of time."

Now this was a new. Yaru changed from her bubbly personality, to a cold and careless one. The mere thought of people dying in front of him when he could have done something, was a big thing that Hioko can't ignore.

"You're hopeless."

And just like that, Hioko ran off in frustration. Jumping from building to building thanks to his supernatural abilities.

Yuki tried to get his attention, but failed miserably. Looking back at Yaru, the blond spoke in a concerned tone:

"Shouldn't we go after him?"

The Goddess only stared at the last place the young boy passed. Knowing his behavior by now, she knew that he wouldn't stay put.

" _Guess I'll go."_

 _/_  
 _"Stupid God! Yaru you idiot!"_

Hioko kept jumping away from the previous train station heading towards central area.

Now that he was angry, he would do ANYTHING in his power to prove the track suited Goddess wrong.

" _If she won't help, than I will!"_

Helping people was in his blood. So if there was anything Hioko could do to prevent any harm, he would do it.

With that in mind, now we can clearly see where he's headed.  
Samiko Train Station.  
As he landed, Hioko noticed that what Seyu had said was true.  
Many phantoms of different sizes were gathered around.

A small one was actually resting on top of a teenager's shoulder. She mumbled something like:

"If my parents want me to leave to collage so badly, might as well do it already."

And the phantom would say:

" **tHey DonT deserVe you... COme witH ME, it will be FUN.."**

Before something would come out of hand, the raven haired boy jumped from his position on tip if a light pole, and prepared his signature move.

"JUNGLE KICK!"

The phantom was knocked out of the way, thus making the teenage girl get out of her trance immediately.  
Landing gracefully on his feet, Iki Hioko shot a glare towards the phantom.

"Pick on someone your own size!"

Even though that was easy enough, his actions brought other spirit's attentions. More of the bigger phantoms came closer to his comfort while saying:

" **WhO is that?"**  
 **"He sEeS us?"**  
 **"One of uS!"**  
 **"Half of us..."**  
 **"Join THE fun!"**

"H-HEY! Cut it ou-MMMHH!"

Hioko had been pushes by the spirits right into the train tracks.  
Before he could do anything, they had tied him and suddenly covered his mouth, preventing him from screaming.

His heart was going 88 m/h, sweat dripping down his forehead at such an incredible speed, that put the train approaching him to shame. The struggle was real for Hioko.

" _Now would be a good time for a miracle.. "_  
He joked to himself.

The first person that came to mind would obviously be the one who got him in this mess in the first place.  
But her earlier attitude kept flashing back into his mind, and that depressed him.

" _If Yaru doesn't even care about people she hasn't met, why would she bother with me?"_

That philosophy alone was enough to convince him.  
Other options wouldn't come here on time. And others were simply out of the question.

" _Am I.. Really gonna-"_

"REND!"

The 'chains' holding him back suddenly vanished in a bright white light. It was all a blur, but he heard the voice call his name once again:

"HIOKO! JUMP!"

So he did. Automatically he did. Jumped on top of the train that was passing by. Finally looking up, the image of the Delivery Goddess appeared in front of him in a flash.

She had jumped on top as well. Holding her blade (Yuki) in one hand while the other was on Hioko's shoulder.

"We'll discuss later. For now, get off the train."

That's what she said to him. And he didn't even think twice about it. He jumped out of the tracks, falling into a forest area.

Even though he didn't know why he was doing this, Hioko didn't hesitate and merely followed the Goddess.

Back with her, she was only concentrated in the task at hand.  
Defeating the phantom.  
What phantom you may ask?  
The one forming itself in the next station.

It was big and orange. With the form of a hand. And it appeared to be attracting a young woman towards the tracks. Planning to do the same thing that was intended with Hioko.  
With a 'tsk', Yaru spoke aloud for Yuki to hear:

"It's time for your first job Yuki."

The regalia in question merely shrugged her shoulders, trying her best to put up a brave face even though no one could see it.

" **Sure. What am I supposed to do?"**

"Come to me when I call your regalia name. Revert to a human when I call your human name. And slice whatever I tell you to. For now, that's all."

The Goddess stood up, still trying to hold onto the base while the train approached it's destination. Both females were still too far away from the woman who was being possessed, and taking a count the speed they were going, this didn't seem to be their lucky day.

" **Oh no! We're not gonna make it!"**

"Yes we will!"

The Goddess' grip around the handle became stronger, and thus Yaru ran straight towards the monster. Jumping on top of it, she began her special mantra to get rid of the hideous thing.

"You who would desecrate this land of the rising sun, with my advent I, the Yaru God, lay wait with The Sekki, and expel thy vast defilement!"

After passing her fingers through the blade and positioning herself in a good angle, Yaru strikes the phantom with all her might.

"REND!"

The orange colored hand was sliced in a half alright, but also a couple of things as well.  
Light poles, windows, and fences around were being shattered thanks to Yuki's impressive sharpness.

Even if it seemed amazing, the Goddess couldn't allow more destruction into the Near Shore. So while jumping once again out of the way of the moving train, Yaru spoke:

"Yuki! Revert! You cut TOO well!"

Landing gracefully on her feet, Yuki turned back and thus both females became tired.  
Seyu had left a while ago, but not after saying 'thank you' to Yaru before she went to save Hioko.

And speaking of the living teen, he made himself present by walking near them both and standing next to the blue eyed woman.

"So you said people who want to kill themselves are a waste of time, yet you saved this one? What people say is true, you can't understand a woman."

Yaru still stared at the sunset that was now glowing into the background of the deadly station. Neither of them knew it was so late already.

Thinking that she would keep ignoring him, Hioko started to walk away, until her voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

"It's not like that..."

Still a bit angry, the young Iki replied to her with a remark:

"Then what is it?"

"People should appreciate the fact that they're alive, even if it does get tuff once in a while. Not just throw it away like if it were nothing... Others would love to be them."

The pink eyed boy didn't think much about it at first, but then began trying to decipher what she meant.  
Yaru's words came back to him:

" _ **They can't even become regalias."**_

And even though all regalias seem to be relatively young, this statement would discard the fact that they died while trying to take away they're lives.

" _If suicide isn't how they died..."_

Hioko tried to put the last piece in place, but was failing miserably. It wasn't until he turned to look at Yuki that everything clicked.

" _Regalias... Are people who still wanted to live.."_

Hioko's moment of clarity changed to one of anger. But not at Yaru. At himself. For thinking that she was selfish in any way.

" _She wouldn't allow it if it was caused by a 'phantom'."_

"Hioko-kun?"

Yuki's concerned voice brought him back to reality, only then realizing he had angry tears lingering in his pink orbs.

Whipping them away, he turned towards her with a smile.

"I'm OK Yuki-chan. Thanks for worrying."

The blond's cheeks had a new shade of red in them, and that's when Yaru had another pain attack in her neck.

"YUKI YOU LITTLE PERV-ETTE!"

Yaru noticed Hioko's puffy red eyes, so she assumed the worse by glaring at the blond with a disapproving scowl.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM HUH?"

Yuki once again had a red face. But not from embarrassment.

"I didn't do anything!"

"Its true! She was only concerned about me!"

"Concerned?! Yeah right! Concerned your ass! Huh? Get it?!"

"Shut up you lousy imitation of a God!"

"N-Now now Yuki-chan. Take a deep breath and-"

"Stay out of this Hioko-kun! Don't encourage her!"

"Cut it out you idiot!"

"YOUR the idiot!"

The 'cat fight' kept on for a while. Hioko couldn't help but laugh at the odd duo. They were very different from one another. But maybe that was a good thing.

After all, it was good to see Yuki's angry side. It was adorable. The fact that she was coming out of her shy shell was comforting to the young Iki.

He really wouldn't mind sticking around for a little while.

/

Once the sun set completely, Hioko had left to go home and said his farewells to the girls.

They were now in one of the old shrines Yaru had found a while ago to sleep. The Goddess had taken the top of the stairs, while Yuki stayed at the bottom.

The blond couldn't stop shaking due to the cold weather. And being outdoors wasn't making it easier. But suddenly, a warm fabric had landed on her back, and she heard Yaru say something:

"Here."

Picking it up, Yuki held an amused expression.  
It was a sweater.  
A Capypa Land sweater.  
The one from this morning to be precise.

"Gee thanks."

Her voice dripped with sarcasm, but still she took the offered piece of clothing, wrapping it around herself. The blond tried to get comfortable, and somehow found a decent position.

She was almost into La-La Land, until Yaru spoke again. With a tone that held a bit of pride.

"For a newbie... You did a pretty good job today."

Yuki couldn't believe what she heard. Turning around, she came almost face to face with the Delivery Goddess. Even though her face seemed with the same nonchalant look, her blue eyes reflected nothing but the truth.

Giving a small smile, the blond's shyness returned once again while saying a small 'thank you'.

Yaru didn't say anything else, but instead rolled over having her back facing the teenage girl. Noticing that she wouldn't talk again, Yuki pulled the sweater around herself tighter and finally reached her limit, falling asleep with the small smile still there.

Neither Regalia or God noticed the mysterious figure in white watching them from a far.

/

 **Bruh, this took longer than expected XD I'm sorry for the late updatebut I had a 2 week vacation spurt so that kind of gave me some time to relax.**

 **Usually I write these chapters during my break in school, but since no school... I kind of forgot :p** **  
** **Thanks for being patient though, and I hope we can finish this soon to continue with other project besides Aragoto (Yes, Seraph Of The End is happening XD)**

 **Also thank you all so much for your kind reviews because that motivates me to keep going! :3** ****

 **I'm not able to reply to all of you cause this story is in many different fan fiction websites so... That could take a while!**

 **Hope you all enjoy. Leave a comment, and I'll see you guys later!** **Bye!**

 **~Alice :)**


	5. Chapter 5

" _Yaru-sama. It's time for your daily check of the city."_

 _Beautiful light blue reflected from the moon came rushing above the glorious shrine._

 _The young teen that spoke was wearing a traditional white kimono with golden laces forming flower-like patterns around her. The sandals appeared to be very comfortable thanks to the soft looking straps. And her blond hair was held in a bun with messy bangs framing her face._

 _"Ah yes._ _Thank you for the reminder Yuki-Chan. Lets go shall we?"_

 _Yaru stood up from a desk filled with paperwork regarding many requests from her followers. Ever since she found her new location, a lot of people have been sending letters none stop._  
 _Fame was good though. She would make everyone happy individually._

 _Both God & regalia made their way towards the limo in the back door. Many servants kept asking things like 'how are you today?' but the blue eyed woman brushed them off._

 _Now that they were on their destination, Yuki opened the door for her Goddess to enter. Yaru didn't hesitate to do so._

 _Afterwards, 10 male servants entered as well and sat next to her. In the end, the blond regalia came in but sat right in the front row, next to the driver to give the directions._

 _"Downtown please."_

 _The woman behind the steering wheel merely nodded and started the engine. Once the vehicle began to move, the lights from the crowded city overpassed the ones from the stars._

 _Words were exchanged between all males on board, and even Yuki began a friendly conversation with some of them._

 _All except Yaru._  
 _Now with a more bright atmosphere, we can take a look at her clothing._

 _A bright purple colored kimono with gold-painted butterflies & darker shades for the laces._

 _Pearl white sandals that went perfectly with her equally white teeth._

 _A traditional pink fluffy fan (with Flamenco feathers) that was placed in a belt around her waist._

 _And last, but not least, was her hair. It reached all the way down her waist and it had a natural curly wave to it._  
 _In the top of her head though, rested a solid gold crown with sapphires to match the blue of her eyes._

 _The young Goddess had her chin rested on the back of her hand while looking outside the limo's window._

 _All the city areas were filled with light and joy. Many advertisement announcements could be seen in the big screen with_ _ **her**_ _as the main attraction._

 _She would do commercials mostly for her 'wish-granting' business, but sometimes she'd make spare time for others._

 _Many stores had_ _ **her**_ __ _as the mascot, patronizing restaurants, toys, wines, cellphones, etc._

 _Other 'kid safe' areas would have_ _ **her**_ __ _as a plushie guardian to prevent them from doing any harm to themselves or the merchandise._

 _And even in the darkest of areas, they're would be many posters filled with positive comments towards her campaign management. Apparently people wanted to elect her as president._ _ **Again.**_

 _"Simply amazing isn't it?"_

 _Yaru got out of her trance to stare at the one who had called her. And for the first time in that day, she smiled._

 _There, next to her, was none other than her lover, Iki Hioko._

 _He was the only male in the whole group that had normal clothes. He was a teenager after all. A human none less. But after hearing the news that he was with 'The Goddess of Fortune' everyone knew not to mess with him._

 _"How was school?"_

 _"Meh. The usual. I had a pop quiz again though. I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed for this one."_

 _The blue eyed woman scoffed at that statement._

 _"Your just being modest. You know as well as I do that it was a piece of cake."_

 _"That's not true! Equations were a real pain-"_

 _"'Pain' my ass! Your the SMARTEST person I've ever met & don't you DARE say otherwise you got that?"_

 _"Yaru-sama! Language!"_  
 _The blond regalia spoke from her spot on front with a glare_ _adorning her usual stoic expression._

 _The adressed Goddess mumbled under her breath while Hioko scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment._

 _"You always say the most stupid things."_

 _"Well it's the truth, what do ya want me to say?"_

 _"Ha ha ha! Nothing Nothing!_ _You're pretty smart yourself. After all you have a good way with people & somehow accomplished your goal.."_

 _Hioko praised her while holding onto her shoulder. Yaru's annoyed expression disappeared and was replaced with a small, almost nostalgic, smile._

 _While looking outside the window of the still on going limo, she couldn't help but remember everything she had to do to get there._

 _Wish granting._

 _Phantom slaying._

 _Attending conferences._

 _Getting a suitable regalia._

 _Overcoming her insecurities._

 _Freeing herself from the past._

 _And even confess her feelings towards a certain pink eyed boy._

 _Either way, it appeared that life had no meaning anymore. She reached her goal, yes. But now there wasn't much to do exept make sure that everything was in its rightful place._

 _It almost seemed like..._

 _"My life is empty..."_

 _The young teenager next to her frowned at this statement. Making sure everyone was minding their own business, he held onto Yaru's chin forcing her to look at him straight in the eyes._

 _The Goddess' eyes would never tire him. Electric blue that had once held joy, were now very dark and almost faded. She tried her best to avoid his gaze, but Hioko wouldn't let that happen._

 _On the other hand, Yaru noticed that the boy's beautiful eye color had not changed from when she had met him._  
 _Bright pink that held nothing but determination. And now they held something new, yet equally powerful._

 _Love._

 _They both leaned in, knowing what would come next, for they have done it before._  
 _Lips an inch away from one another._

 _ **"SHUT UP ALREADY!"**_

Suddenly the spell was broken, and that track-suited woman was pushed down the stairs of the old shrine they were at.

Letting out a 'Yelp!' of pain, she looked at the top once again, only to be greeted by the sight of her regalia with a frown on her face.

"That will teach not to wake up people in the middle of the night! Now please stay quiet!"

With that being said, Yuki took her spot at the stairs & covered herself with the 'Capypa Land' sweater from before, ignoring the Goddess for good this time.

Yaru merely got up, and streched for a bit, taking in the morning fresh air.  
For some odd reason, she didn't mind that everything turned out to be another fantasy.

She was used to it.

So with no hesitation, she made herself comfortable right at the bottom of the stairs (too lazy to walk all the way up again).

Before she could close her eyes though, Yaru's pocket vibrated & she took out her phone. It was a text message.

 _"Who the Hell would be up a this time?"_

Opening the message app, the Delivery Goddess stared at the screen, cursing her irony.  
Maybe karma DID exist.

 _To: Yaru_  
 _From: Hioko-kun :3_

 _Hey Yaru! Sorry if I woke you up but I wanted to find out where you girls are? I think I have some extra meat to make you some breakfast. My wish comes afterwards you got it? ;)_

Giggling a bit at the boy's straightfowardness, Yaru replied with a good morning sign, and the address.  
After it was sent, she got up instead, suddenly not feeling tired anymore.

While heading towards the city, she thought:

 _"Guess I'll have to walk for a bit.."_

/

"Thank you so much Hioko-kun~!"

It is now finally morning, and Hioko kept his promise by going to give the girls some homemade breakfast.

The blue eyed woman kept devouring every single bit of it, while the boy simply stared in amusement.

"Hopefully with this you will FINALLY take care of my wish?"

"There's some delicious octopus too.."

"ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME!?"

 ***Yawn***

A mop of messy blond hair came out of the shadows rubbing it's eyes. Letting another yawn out, she sat down next to the others.

"Good morning Yuki-Chan."

"Morning Yuki!"

"M-Morning..."

The small regalia finally noticed everything in front of her.  
An Orange juice box.  
A lunch box.  
And a pair of clean chopsticks.

"What is this..?"  
She spoke in a slurry voice.

"Breakfast of course! Ain't Hioko the sweetest?"

Hioko mumbled something about 'It was nothing' while Yuki yawned once again.

"You tired?"

The blond nodded and afterwards began placing some food into her mouth. Once she finished chewing & swallowing, she spoke again with an annoyed tone:

"Yaru kept me awake all night with her stupid rambles..."

Surprised by the bond's coldness, the boy realized that she probably wasn't aware of what she was saying due to lack of rest.  
Yaru on the other hand let out a dreamy sigh with a rice ball still I'm her let hand.

"That was one marvelous dream..."

"You know, I'd flee the country before I wear a kimono again. So don't even think about it."

"You're just shy Yuki-Chan! And also jealous knowing that only **I** can master the perfect kimono look!"

The Goddess strikes a pose earning groans from the teenagers.  
After finishing the lunch box and carefully placing her chopsticks inside, Yuki said:

"If you think that's attractive than you haven't lived in this century. Did you know that she sweats? Like A LOT?"

That last question was aimed at Hioko, and he only laughed nervously while Yaru had a mini heart attack.

Gaining her posture, the black haired woman's expression changed to a more serious one as she adressed her companions.

"I know I'm not great... it's gonna rake a while. But I will accomplish it. And do you know why?"

Feeling gulty for their laughter earlier, both teens nodded, waiting for whatever came next.  
Yaru made her way to a nearby tree and came with a bag behind her.

A glint of mischief appeared.

"Because I have this!"  
With a dramatic pose, the bag opened to reveal..

"A POT?!"  
The teens spoke simultaneously as they're faces were full of shock.

Apparently Yaru had walked away in the middle of the night and came across a lot of sellers.  
Most people gave her lucky charms like the pot, a necklace, a bracelet, etc.  
Some were for good luck, others for a good love life, and some were even for good luck in your grades.

The more the Goddess spoke, the more evident it seemed that they had scammed her. In the end, they couldn't take it anymore.

"HIOKO-KUN! CATCH!"

Yuki somehow slipped pass her master and took a hold of the precious pot, throwing it into the air.

Hioko on the other hand, made a double flip in the air and broke it with another martial arts move, leaving nothing but bits.

Yaru gasped dramatically and ran towards the remainings of her once treasure. Kneeling down, she picked a couple of pieces trying to put them together.  
Hioko came in front of her and, while pointing at her, scolded:

"Go do something productive!"

Sniffing, the black haired replied:  
"Its not my fault...I want to work but I'm not getting any jobs.."

As the teenage boy knelt down, he began to feel pity for the poor Goddess. So once they were face to face, he spoke the truth:

"Listen Yaru. You said you can feel Yuki-Chan's emotions didn't you?"

When the woman nodded in confirmation, he turned towards the blond who was once again fast asleep. Yaru observed as well, and thus, started to understand what the teen was trying to tell her.

"I'm not psychic, but even **I** can tell that she's counting on you. She's **your** regalia after all. So please, keep it together. For both of your sakes."

 _"Damm boy I hate when he's right."_

The woman understood that he was speaking the truth. So she let go of the broken pot pieces abd then stood up. The serious look from before came back, and the Delivery Goddess spoke in a soft tone:

"Hioko. Wake Yuki up will you?"

"Sure, but for what?"

Yaru turned his way, and gave a look that sent shivers down he spine, but not in a good way.

"There's someone I want you to meet."

/

"Are we there yet?"

Yuki's slurry voice asked after 5 more minutes. She wasn't so fond of the idea of waking up so 'early' just to go to an unknown place.  
Even so, both Hioko and her, were following Yaru in a quiet atmosphere.

The Goddess didn't speak at all in the trip, and that made the teenage boy feel a little uneasy.

They finally found themselves in a familiar looking place (since it seemed like they had been walking in circles the whole time).

It was a small looking cafe. Appeared to be deserted, yet the smell of backed potatoes said otherwise. Various signs with combo specials were placed everywhere, and the seats were empty except from the occasional cleaning products.

Yaru made her way towards the counter while both teens stayed behind admiring the place.

"Where are we?"  
Asked Hioko.

"Kochiku!"

The blue eyed woman yelled the name many times, searching for the desired person with the name 'Kochiku'.  
After a while of looking, noises could be heard from what might of been the kitchen.

Suddenly in the blink of an eye, a young girl tackled the Goddess in a hug.

"Yaru-chan~!"

The woman in question started laughing along with the mysterious person, saying things like 'Its been a long time' & 'I've missed you'.

This took a while until Yuki interrupted with a forceful yawn. Now that the attention was placed upon them, the blue eyed woman understood her mistake and spoke in a sweet cheery tone.

"I'm sorry guys! Just got a little excited! Hehehe~!"

Once the pinkette stopped giggling as well, they both snuggled closer with the pinkish girl wrapping an arm around the Goddess.  
Yaru spoke in a soft tone, introducing the character properly:

"This is Kochiku. My boy-friend."  
Confirming what she had said, the pink dressed boy spoke as well

"I'm Kochiku. Yaru-Chan's boyfriend. Its a pleasure~!"

Silence overtook the teens once again, as you could practically see the questioning marks floating above them. Hioko had a look mixed with shock and a bit of annoyance, while Yuki seemed confused & disgusted.

They had something in common though.

 _"THAT'S A BOY!?"_

Indeed, at first glance he could very well pass as a girl; with his child-like attitude & pinkish clothes that is. But now that they looked in a new perspective, they WERE a couple of things to distinguish him.

He had short curly pink hair that framed his round kind of chubby face. It would seem puffy and it barely touched his shoulders.

His eyes were a light purple color that seemed too bright for anyone's liking. The clothing consisted of a light pink vest on top of a plain white shirt.  
No breasts.

The bottom was a short pair of dark purple pants with kittens drawed in them. And a pair of light pink sneakers with blue laces.  
His body was average height, and not so bulky, but not skinny either.

So it was indeed a young looking boy. Looking around Hioko's age, or even a bit older.

That's when whatever Yaru said earlier finally sinked in for the young Iki.

 _"Boyfriend?!"_

Oh if looks could kill...

"Ne Ne Kochiku~"

Yaru was now poking the pinkette's side with her index finger. He laughed at his.

"Yes Yaru-chan?"

"As you can see, I have recently acquired a new regalia."  
She pointed towards Yuki to emphasize her point.

"And I'd like to give her the proper treatment she deserves... but no jobs had come in...  
And I can barely provide with a decent shelter!"

At this point the woman had started crying and hugging the boy's waist. Hioko & Yuki knew better, but apparently Kochiku wasn't so lucky.

"Oh Yaru-Chan! Please don't cry! I'll help you, don't worry!"

Searching in his pockets, the boy grabbed his wallet and began searching. Not even a minute later, he had a 100 yen bill in his hand, urging Yaru to take it.  
The Goddess' eyes sparkled and she began snuggling with him saying 'thank you' & 'your a saviour'.

At this point, Yuki had noticed that her companion was too quiet and, after looking at his face, decided to stay out of his angry looking sight.

"YOU BASTARD!"

A gush of wind passed by faster than lighting, and pushed the Goddess away from the pinkette, letting her land face-fit on the ground.

The observant teens stared with wide eyes at the source of it.

An older looking woman, probably in her 30's. With the body of a wrestler it would have been hard to tell the difference, if it weren't for her noticeable breasts and somewhat curvy waist.

She was wearing a gardener comfortable outfit. But also an apron which gave the impression that she must have been cooking something.

With her hair held in a ponytail, she used her howling voice once again:

"I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM MY LORD YOU SON OF A *****!"

Hioko quickly covered the blond girl's ears trying to prevent her from listening to such language.  
But Yuki had still heard either way.

Yaru was lying limp on the ground, but looked up at her attacker and spoke softly:

"We n-need help Daisuku..."

The woman called 'Daisuki' glared down at her and then gave her 2 companions a side glance. It turned into a raging fight in a minute though.

/

Once things cooled down, the large woman invited our 3 protagonists into the house behind the restaurant.  
Things were a little akward since Kochiku & Daisuku were sitting face-to-face with Hioko & Yuki. Meanwhile Yaru attended her injuries in the backyard.

"I apologize for the earlier situation. I am ver protective of My Lord since he can get into troublesome situations from time to time."

Kochiku replied with a pout:  
"Daisuku you are a BIG meanie!"

The older woman chuckled at her friend's behavior, and then turned towards the teens again.

"My name is Daisuku. This is my God & master as you already know: Kochiku Ebisu."

Kochiku waved at both Hioko & Yuki eagerly, while the other 2 stared agape.

 _"Master Ebisu!? One of the Seven Gods of Fortune?!"_ Thought the blond.

 _"He looks WAY different than how they picture him..."_ Hioko thought.

In Japanese culture, The Seven Gods of Fortune were an important group that everyone respected. The ones that made a big difference in the world and did they're best to,make people happy.

They would change from time to time, but Lord Ebisu was one of the few that have been around for centuries. Many traditional paintings made him seem like an older looking wise man, not a young-teenage looking boy.

"T-That is umm... very impressive indeed... E-Ebisu-sama"  
The pink eyed boy spoke.

With another wave of his hand, the young God spoke with a nonchalant tone:

"Kochiku is fine."

After a while of silence, Daisuku turned her attention from the teapot in her hands to Yuki.  
The blond felt her gaze, and because of that she started to shift awkwardly in the seat.

"Hey."

Knowing she was the one being called, Yuki turned upwards at the gigantic regalia. The sight was intimidating. With a small gulp, she waited.

"Haven't seen you before. What's your name?"

"Y-Yuki ma'am..."

"Yuki huh?"

The older regalia began to serve some tea for Kochiku & herself. Both teens on the other side of the table thought they were a nice couple. After a moment of sipping, Daisuku spoke again:

"I can't believe Yaru found such an interesting regalia. You're so young after all..."  
The ending was more of a whisper to herself, but the blond still heard it.

Was it wrong to be so young?

Yes, she did notice that she was quite younger than any other regalia she had encountered before, but still just shrugged it off.

Now that Daisuku brought it up, it seemed to be more of a mystery. And she didn't know how to feel about that.

Hioko, on the other hand, was somewhat worried. Yaru had hinted several times that Yuki's past wasn't exactly a nice one. And thanks to his new discovery that suicidal people couldn't become regalias, it was most likely murder. Knowing that she suffered that at 'this' age was very tragic indeed.

In his own thoughts, he sent even notice the pinkette God approach him from behind.

"Hi~!"

Quickly regaining his composure, the human boy looked at the God and spoke in a polite manner:

"Y-Yes?"

"What's YOUR name? You seem human to me."

"I'm Iki Hioko. And yes, I am human."

After the introduction, Kochiku got closer to the black haired boy and smirked slightly. A very interesting expression when it was being used by him.

"And what is your relationship with Yaru-Chan huh~?"

Who ever said it wasn't possible to cosplay a fruit? Hioko was doing a great job. Either a tomato or a strawberry.

The mere thought of them ever being something more than friends was just overwhelming!... ... ...  
When did she even go up the latter to become friend?  
Shouldn't she be an acquaintance?

He then realized he hadn't said anything at all, and the God was still waiting patiently with that smirk still present.

Coughing awkwardly, Hioko tried to give a coherent answer, only to end up stuttering in the process:

"I-It's not like that at all. We are j-just frie- I mean acquaintances!"

 _"Great. I must look like a high school girl with a crush.."_

Hioko's face was still kind of pink when the God giggled in his face. Getting on his feet, the pinkette jumped from his seat, tackling the boy in the process.

"Don't be shy to admit it!"

"WAIT! PLEASE, LET ME GO!"

Watching from the sidelines, Yuki considered helping her poor friend. Yet she couldn't suppress the giggles that wanted to escape from time to time. Daisuku laughed out loud for a bit and then spoke to the girl:

"I'm sorry for his behavior. It's been so long since he's encountered other people that he's just SO exited. We don't go out that much."

Giggling at this statement, the blond looked up at Daisuku with new-found confidence. She was grateful that this had somewhat 'broken the ice' between them.

"It's ok. He's most likely embarrassed, but I think Hioko-kun is having fun too."

Daisuku smiled a bit. The conversation continued normally after that.

"So, you new as a regalia?"

"Yes, it's my first time. Am I that obvious?"

"Not that much. But still you should consider getting a job of your own ya know?" She smirked.

"Hehehe yeah I did notice... Maybe here?"

It WAS a restaurant after all. And she might need the money in the future to at least sustain herself. Daisuku had other plans though. With a shadowy aura, she stretched her muscles for a bit intentionally, and spoke with daggers practically in her eyes.

"I'm the only one he needs.."

 _"My Godness.."_  
Shivering back in her seat, the young blond stood frozen in spot. Fortunatly, a distraction came right after.

"Hey Yuki~!"

Both regalias looked back at the source of the voice and there stood Kochiku. Well.. more like leaning against Hioko's body while he was laying on the ground.

"You really should be careful. Yaru-Chan can be very scary at times."

Both Yuki, and even Hioko looked p at that statement, noticing that the pinkette's eyes held deep seriousness.

"Scary?" Hioko dared to ask.

Kochiku nodded and then got up, allowing the teenage boy to breath. Afterwards he got closer to Daisuku and took a cup of tea as well.

"The first time I heard about her, the rumors said that she was a scary Goddess... Killing both humans & regalias.."

Hioko didn't want to believe this, even though it gave him the chills. Yuki on the other hand, visibly shivered for a bit.

Noticing these reactions right away, Daisuku said:

"Kochiku. Stop scaring the kids."

 _"Yaru.. scary?"_

This was quite difficult to grasp for both teens. Picturing Yaru like that was almost impossible.

Speak of the devil, the Delivery Goddess appeared out of thin air.  
The prior injuries long forgotten. With a large grin on her face.

Taking a hold of her regalia's hand, Yaru began speed walking towards the exit.

"Good news Yuki-chan~! We have a job! Lets go!"

As they ran faster (mostly Yaru; Yuki was dragged) towards the exit, Hioko realized once again that his wish hadn't been granted. The teen apologized for the sudden rush, and then left trailing down both girls down.

"Awww Hioko-Chan left..."  
Kochiku had a pout on his face.

Daisuku ruffled the pink mop of hair from her God, and let out a sigh.

 _"Yaru, why did you bring those two here?"_

They haven't seen her in a long time. And even though they seemed pretty close, it was weird to see her all of a sudden without any reason.

She might tell them later then.

/

 _"Hello mom.._

 _I'm sorry to do this in a message but... there was no stoping it. Things have been going on lately and... I doubt I'm ever going home._

 _Tell dad that thank you for all his support... And sorry for not being able to go to college... he he.. guess I wasn't fit for it anyway._  
 _Well, I love you so... this will be kind of hard.. See ya later..."_

 ***MESSAGE SENT***

Yusuke Urasawa placed his phone back in his pocket. The wind was blowing slightly making the colored sunset look a bit more majestic.

He took a crumbled piece of paper from his back pocket and gently placed it under his already disposed shoes. Now with a closer look, you can tell that it is an envelope.

On the front, is written 'Will'.

Once again, he makes his way towards the edge of the building. He was on the rooftop.

"Hello~! I am The Delivery-!"

 ***CRASH***

"Huh?"

Yusuke Urasawa was falling.  
Along with 2 women & 1 boy.

"YOU IDIOT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! YOU JUST PUSHED HIM AWAY!"  
Yelled Hioko.

"IT WASN'T MY FAULT!"  
Yelled Yaru.

The Goddess immediately turned towards her client, and cheerfully extended her arm with a presentation card.

"As I was saying, I'm the Yaru Goddess! I have received your call and now am here to help with whatever problem you have~!"

"Ok Yaru! Why don't you SAVE him first!?"

"Ah yes. I'm Yusuke Urasawa. A pleasure to meet you. Here's my card."

"HE'S PLAYING ALONG?!"

The young man named Yusuke handed Yaru his presentation card as well. They were still falling.

"'Financement' huh? Not bad. Your family must be really proud."

Scratching the back of his head sheepishly, the man spoke:  
"Not exactly. My parents wanted me to be a lawyer. I feel bad that I wasn't able to do so. Now that I realize it, I apologize because I think I called you by mistake. Before my mother's call."

"Well it's alright! Because now I can help you right NOW! What is the problem?"

Yusuke kept his gaze downwards for a bit. Preparing to explain, he looked up at the Goddess & said with a dark expression (still falling)

"My life has no meaning anymore. Not without her."

Yaru replied with an equally dark aura:

"'Her'? Who is her?"

He wanted to avoid the topic, but thinking about her one more time seemed pleasant either way.

"Well... it began months ago..."

"You're gonna talk now?!"  
Yelled Hioko.

"Don't you guys think we've been falling for too long?"  
Yuki pointed out.

~ _ **FLASHBACK: 6 MONTHS AGO**_...~

 _ **I met her during summer break.**_

 _Yusuke was walking downtown with a somewhat happy expression. He had just gotten out of a job interview and had been accepted!_

 _ **Even though I should have been exited, truth be told I was pretty down. My parents wanted something different for me after all.**_

 _As he walked past many convenience stores, the man noticed a small person sitting on the ground. What drew him in, was the lonely aura that came from it._

 _Up close, he realized it was a girl. Blond hair._  
 _Golden eyes glazed in tears._  
 _And wearing some purple shorts and pink turtleneck._

 _ **Yuki: Wait a minute! *Blush* WHY AM I IN YOUR FLASHBACK?!**_

 _ **Yusuke: I apologize! Its just that you look so much like her *Nosebleed***_

 _ **Hioko: Hentai! *Glare***_

 _After a bit of persuasion, the blond said her name. Yusuke learned she came from a wealthy family. Her parents didn't let her go out very often, which led to her depression._

 _ **All she wanted was to go outside and have fun. It was her dream. My heart couldn't handle such injustice.**_

 _"I'll take you somewhere!" He had said._

 _The girl looked up with some insecurity clear in her face. She advertised her eyes, but Yusuke mustered up courage and spoke truthfully._

 _"Such beautiful bird doesn't deserve to be in a cage forever. She needs to be freed... by a knight in shinning armour."_

 _A blush was placed in the blond's cheeks, but then replaced by a large grin and some giggles._

 _"Thank you Yusuke-kun!"_

 _ **I took her to a nice sushi restaurant. We talked for hours about random things, and I found myself falling for her.**_

 _ **Afterwards, we went to buy her some new clothes, since the ones she owned were 'too fancy' according to her.**_

 _The happy couple could be seen in many places from that point forward. Restaurants, shops, parks, and even CapypaLand._

 _ **Our relationship grew. However,**_ __ _ **little by little, I noticed that my luck was getting low. Every single date went worse than the last.**_

 _ **CapypaLand turned to ashes. Literally.**_

 _ **The restaurant was blown apart from a bomb.**_

 _ **Earthquakes appeared out of nowhere.**_

 _After a date with his girlfriend, Yusuke had made his way home. Once he got there, grabbing his_ wallet _with a solemn expression, a sigh escaped his lips._  
 _All of his credit cards have been maxed, reaching the highest point. All he could do now, was weep about it._  
 _There was a message from his boss waiting for him at home._

 _ **~END OF FLASHBACK~**_

"I got fired. Afterwards, my credit cards have been maxed. I went bankrupt. I couldn't... i-I couldn't drag her into this.."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Yaru held a dark aura still, and then spoke again:

"Bad luck huh? This all sound familiar... you wouldn't happen to have a picture of her do you?"

"U-um yes of course. Here."

Picking up his phone, the young man searched in his gallery until it fell upon a girl's face. When he showed it to the others, they all stared agape.

It was a picture in CapypaLand. Yusuke was happily smiling next to a Capypa & on the other side, was a young pink haired boy.

"KOCHIKU-SAN?!" Yelled the teens.

"Just as I thought. Just forget about him." Said Yaru.

"H-him?"

"Yes. 'Him'. He's a boy, and trust me, you'll be better off without him. He's the God of Poverty after all"

"POVERTY?!" Yelled the teens again, now realizing they were getting close to the ground.

"Indeed. Plus."  
Yaru took her own phone and searched for a particular picture. It was one of Kochiku with Daisuku.

"He's already got quite a jealous one."

In the picture, Daisuku was glaring right at the camera, with Kochiku smiling lightly.  
That could intimidate anyone.

"If you don't cut you're ties with him, you will die. His bad luck has infected you. Its the only way."

"W-what? No way!"

Yaru seemed surprised. The others as well. Yusuke had a determinate look o his face, while mumbling things under his breath.

"I don't care if he's a boy! I love him with all my heart! Heck, I don't care of I die as long as I can see him smi-"

"YOU IDIOT!"

The Delivery Goddess landed a blow straight at the guy's face, earning a bit of blood in her knuckles.  
Taking a hold of his collar jacket, she said:

"Someone who's willing to commit suicide isn't cut for love! You think he'll take back an idiot like you?!"

That appeared to snap the man out of it, and with Yaru's weird logic, he somehow agreed. It would hurt a lot, but it was the wisest choice if he ever wanted to move on.

Both still falling teens didn't know what to do in this situation, so they remained silent. Hioko because he was analyzing the situation at hand (they were falling), and Yuki because she felt bad for the young man.

"Yuki. You'll have to do it."

Snapping out of her pity-like state, the blond was confused, but then pieced it together and sent a shocked glare at her master.

"Wait a sec! I've never cut someone's ties before! What if-!"

"You'll do fine!"

Still with an insecure expression upon her, she gave Yaru a questioning look. The Goddess seemed confident enough, even though she was a newbie.

"Believe in yourself."

Once reconsidering, the teenage girl gave an approving nod, still a bit worried.  
But that was enough for Yaru.

"SEKKI!"

Her blade form took place and made itself present in the Gooddess' hand. Turning back at Yusuke, her expression softened for a bit and then said:

"Anything you want me to tell him for you?"

Without hesitation, the young man smiled sadly and said:

"Kochiku-Chan. I hope you live a happy life. That is all."

With that being said, the blue eyed woman swung the blade straight towards him, making him shudder for a moment.

It all made itself in slow motion. The last couple of centimeters apart from the ground disappeared & they all landed softly.  
Even though it appeared to be the same, Yusuke Urasawa's phone indicated that he had lost one contact number.

/

"KOCHIKU HOW COULD YOU?!"

Once Yusuke had awaken from the crazy events, our 3 protagonists helped him get safely to the train station, claiming that he had fainted.

Apparently cutting ties worked, for he seemed to be perfectly normal when they left him.

Unfortunatly, they also had to go back and explain the situation to a certain regalia & lecture her childish master.

"YOU made me do it ya know? You never let me go out so I decided to have some fun with Yusuke-kun unstead!"

"It's because you cause disaster wherever you go!"

Daisuku's sadness was quickly replaced by anger. The lecturing kept going on as the pink haired male stayed silent, pouting.  
Even so, Yaru was calmly sipping her tea while both Hioko & Yuki remained silent.

After Daisuku calmed down for a bit, she turned towards the guests they had, but most importantly, to Yuki.

"Ya know, for a newbie you did a great job. Cutting someone's ties is harder than making them. There's something special about you."

The blond's cheeks turned pink all of a sudden, but instead of cowering away like usually, she rubbed the back of her head with a sheepish smile, the blush still present.

"I-It was nothing really. I dunno h-how I did it So... thank you I guess?"

Daisuku chuckled at the girl's attempt at being calm. Then she turned towards the blue eyed Goddess.

"You got yourself a good one, Yaru."

The Goddess gave the older regalia a nod and then placed her arm around the blond while grinning.

"That's why I fell for her at first sight! Ain't that right Yuki-chan~?"

At that moment Yuki's embarrassment returned like a fire, and she tried pushing her master away while the other kept giving a death hug.

As they talked, time went by pretty fast, and before they knew it it was night time. Yaru & Yuki took the lead at leaving while Hioko said his goodbyes.

Before he left the porch, the pink eyed boy turned towards the pinkette God and, with a hesitant smile, asked:

"Kochiku-san? What you said earlier about Yaru being scary, you were kidding right?"

The pinkette who was sipping his own cup of coffee, replied smugly:

"Nop. I meant it. Yaru-Chan can get really scary at times, so I'd be careful if I were you. She IS a God of Calamity after all."

"God of Calamity?"

"The ones that Grant any wish that comes they're way."

Daisuku came back from her position in the kitchen, still wearing a white apron. When she sat down, she continued:

"Gods are born from the wishes of other people. Gods of Calamity are not very well known, and tend to be violent. They are willing to grant any wish..."

"Grant.. any wish.."

Hioko then realized something important.  
Something that now clicked in his head.  
Something that Kochiku had said himself.

 _"Killing both humans & regalias..."_

Even as the teen walked home, he couldn't brush this off. Yaru would do anything to gain the power she desired. Could she actually be something more than just a nameless God?  
Perhaps even a heartless person?

"What took you so long?"

The voice brought him back, but for some reason it didn't startle him. In fact, he was waiting for it.  
Unlike other times, her voice was lacking something. Emotion perhaps.

"Kochiku-San and I were talking. Nothing much except I lost track of time."

He sounded confident, but in reality he was a nervous wreck. The young Iki had no idea what the Goddess could do to him. He was pretty sure she knew the reason either way.

Yaru walked closer to him, from her prior position behind a tree. Hioko didn't move, but he didn't approach either.

"Hioko. Do me a favor."

The boy kept his gaze on the floor, the nervousness finally showing, until he felt her hands on his.  
This was weird.  
Yaru WAS touchy-feely, but not to this extreme.

When he dared to look up, he was met with a warm feeling in his chest.

The Delivery Goddess, or God of Calamity, was hugging him.

"If something ever happens to me... go to those two. They will be able to help you. Please promise you will."

Her voice changed dramatically from cold to warm in a second. Maybe he imagined it? Either way, even if THIS Yaru wasn't the real one, he would enjoy everything he could get.

Even if it were just a fantasy.

"Ok. I promise."

They didn't say anything after that. Both content with this little they had. The blue eyed woman was trying her best not to cry, while the human boy thought something that he never noticed before.

 _"She smells nice..."_

 _/_

The scenery changes from our two lovebirds to the young lonely blond.

She decided to walk a little up ahead, claiming that Yaru would find her there. Yuki chose a small pond near the park, with little lighting to clear her head.

She grabbed another pebble and tossed it towards the small mass of water, seeing the pattern that appeared right after.

 _"That's why I fell for her at first sight!"_

A small smile crept its way into the teens lips. Maybe, just maybe, she could open up to these people.

 ***Ring***

"Awww you have pretty eyes."

The wind stopped blowing for a moment, and suddenly the young teen blinked twice to see a boy in front of her.

She was sitting cross-legged in the shore, so the boy had his knees close to his chest at her left side.

He appeared be younger than her. Maybe... 10? 12? Who knew. He was dressed in a white kimono with pink lasses, and a pair of sandals. What was more outstanding than anything though, was the collection of tattoos placed upon him.

All of them were regalia names. Yuki had originally thought he would be a spirit (he could see her after all) but she had never witnessed something like this before.

His short black hair and dark onyx eyes were intimidating, like if he was ready to eat her alive.

"They're like the golden fruit that stays in the old trees. They are not sweet, nor poisonous, nor of any purpose whatsoever. They can't provide anything.  
People let them fall, and leave them alone. To die in the dark."

The blond girl was considering trying to run, but realized her fear had her glued to the spot.  
No one would help her.

"What are you doing here Nora?"

The tension dissipated lightly but was now placed upon the new voice. Yuki was somewhat happy that Yaru came, but she still had her doubts.

The boy now known as 'Nora' simply smiled lightly at the Goddess and then stood up.

"No. Please call me by my name. I love the name you gave me, Yaru."

"W-what? He's also your regalia?"  
Asked Hioko.

"Stay away from us. I mean it."

Yaru seemed extremely serious, and all what Nora did was smile. He extended his hand, and let the winds carried him away, just like they had brought him before.  
Only his voice could be heard once he vanished, leaving not just a request, but a threat that would lead to something much more important.

"I'll be waiting, for you to call my name..."

/

 **Finally Damm it this took a while! XD So sorry guys, but I've been getting a little bit more busy lately so it's been taking a while to do these :p**

 **I love writing so that's helped me a lot to keep going. Hopefully I'll be able to finish this by the end of summer and then begin with Seraph Of the End!**

 **Plus, got a new phone so I'm getting used to the keyboard.**

 **Thank you all so much for your patience as always, please like and follow me if you will :3**

 **I'm starting to watch new anime series so that's triggering many new ideas! I'll try to put a lot of variety in my account.**

 **On my genderbend stories I like to add original content, so I hope I'm doing good so far. (Many of you said your liking the concept so ok xD)**  
 **Also I try to add all of the ship's even if they're not my OTP'S (Yatori °_°)**

 **Thanks a lot guys for sticking around! I love y'all so much~! Have a nice day everybody**

 **~Alice :)**


	6. Chapter 6

"Ok so what's the difference between a croissant and a bagel?"

"I'm telling you! A croissant is a piece of bread! A bagel is like a donut!"

After the bell had rung, 3 teenagboys began walking to the sushi place down the block. Apparently they had decided for a while now, but it was very difficult due to the new semester.

Hioko along with Makoto & Aiko turned the corner and saw a headlight. Waiting for it to turn green, the young Iki turned towards his companions to continue with their conversation.

"But what kind of donut? Like they're glassed ones, chocolate ones.. strawberry on-"

"The ones with a hole in the middle! What do you mean with what kind? What other kinds are they?" Aiko adjusted his glasses in a frustrated manner.

Makoto replied with a snarl of his own.

"Maybe Mako was talking about the ones that have filling? Not all of them have holes." The pink eyed boy joined in their strange topic.

Why they were talking about that was beyond understanding.

"THANK YOU Hioko! At least SOMEONE understands the struggle!"

"Aw come on Hioko don't help him! Most donuts have a hole in the middle, it should have been obvious!"

Hioko suppressed a chuckle as the lights finally turned green. In the middle of the street, the teen felt a familiar buzz in his left pocket.

Picking out his phone and unlocking the screen, a message popped out from the Delivery Goddess. It said she requested his presence downtown.

Sighing for the first time that day, he replied with a quick 'I'm on my way' and placed it back where it belonged. Turning to Mako who was glaring at the other boy, he said:

"Sorry guys. Something came up and I gotta go."

Both teens paused their bickering to listen to what he was saying. In fact, they even stopped Walking right after getting to the sidewalk. With a half looped smile, Hioko waved a bit and took his leave.

"See ya tomorrow! I'll make it up to you guys!"

Before he could take another step, Makoto's firm grip came in contact with his arm. It was strong, yet somewhat hesitant.  
Looking at his friends in confusion, Hioko noticed that they're faces expressed concern.

"Hioko... where are you going?"  
Mako asked with a soft almost hidden glare.

The young Iki was caught off guard, and began to quickly think of something to not give anything away.

"Umm... I-I forgot that my mom wanted me to buy something so... gotta go quickly before she gets home."

"Then we'll go with you."  
Now said Aiko with concern.

"NO! I-I mean it's not necessary. I kind of like shopping on my own.."

Both boys looked at one another, silently agreeing on something. Afterwards, Makoto slowly let go of the pink eyed boy's arm and then told him:

"Man, are you feeling alright?"

"What do you mean? I feel fine."

"Well.. you've been acting a little... strange lately."  
Said Aiko.

"Strange? Strange how?"

Aiko began fidgeting with his sweater, a bit hesitant. Mako didn't let anything stop him though.

"Its just that you've been a little... what should I call it... distant? Like, when was the last time we went to do something together? Just the 3 of us?"

The black haired boy stared at his companions with confusion written over his face. They DID hang out! Maybe not like they used to, but they still had contact with one another.

Yet still, the looks he was getting from both of them, gave away the fact that they were worried. And Hioko always appreciated that his friends actually cared about him.

So, with his typical soft smile, he went back just a bit and gave each of his buddies a fist-bump. Then, that smile changed to a grin.

"I'm sorry guys. Guess your right, we totally need to do something. Perhaps to the movies or the park?"

Mako turned towards Aiko and, quickly, whispered something in the other's ear. The boy with glasses seemed to agree and suddenly they're expressions lightened up slightly.

"Make it CapypaLand and it's a deal!"

Laughing to himself, Hioko nodded. He knew how much his friends wanted to go to the famous amusement park. To be honest, he kind of wanted to as well.

Without saying much except 'Be careful' & 'See you tomorrow!', the 3 boys parted ways.

As he made his way towards the desired location, the teen couldn't help but think about what his friends had said.

How long has he known Yaru?  
How long has it been since his accident?  
How much time has passed without him realizing it?

Remembering the date, the boy's pink orbs widened slightly.

 _"Its already been a month?"_

Time goes by before you know it. So maybe he WAS paying a lot of attention to the Far Shore.  
Maybe more than he needed.

Yet still, Hioko decided to keep this to himself, since he was about to arrive anyway.  
Running down many streets and running past many cars.

Until he finally made it to the park.

And there, sitting in a bench, was Yuki.

She seemed to be waiting for someone, so the boy assumed that Yaru was not around. He slowly made his way towards her as to not startle anyone.

She was wearing the exact same thing from other days, except that this time it appeared to be a lot more dirty. Stains of dirt & probably sweat were visible everywhere, and her shoes were now torn in many areas.

Suddenly, her eyes locked with his, and then she smiled.

Hioko smiled in returned and waved slightly. Afterwards, when he was close enough, he sat down next to her.

"Hey there Yuki-chan."

"Hello Hioko-kun. Yaru said she'd go get something, but told me to wait for you. Not sure why though."

"Ah. Guess she can be weird at times huh?"

"Just 'at times'?"

"Hehe.. yeah.. I guess.."

Awkward silence fell upon them, and that's when Hioko realized that he hadn't spoken to the young regalia ALONE before.

Yes, they talked about trivial things by themselves from time to time, but usually Yaru was around. And this time, no one was around.

 _"I don't know much about her..."_

Not even Yuki knew about herself, but still they should talk a little more often. But about what?  
This was the only time in his life where he questioned how to talk to a girl.

 _"Ok... maybe..."_

"N-Nice weather we have today right?"

Yuki whispered and Hioko almost missed it. Turning to the right, he noticed the blond fidgeting with her short locks that kept getting in her eyes, all the while a blush in her face.

 _"Well at least I'm not the only one who's trying to start conversation."_

Realizing he hadn't replied yet, the half phantom rubbed the back of his neck with a grin and said:

"Yeah it's... w-warm and cozy hehe.."

"Yeah...kind of like-"

"HERE IT IS!"

 **"AHHHHHHH!"**

A woman with blue-black hair fell in front of them with a small  
mouse-looking phantom in her hand.

Hioko had screamed, but remained glued to the seat thanks to immediately recognizing the voice. Even so, he felt his heart racing and his breathing exhilarating.

Yuki wasn't so lucky. The poor young girl had screamed and fallen off her seat, right in her butt.  
The little phantom that Yaru had captured kept wiggling around, making the blond even more uncomfortable.

"Yaru! You don't just randomly shove things like THAT in someone's face!"  
In the word 'that', Hioko pointed at the green spirit to empathise his point.

"I think I kind of agree..."

Yuki was trying her best to not rub her butt in pain. Actually, it was taking her a lot of effort to STAND in general, since the fear had let her legs feeling like jelly.

Yaru noticed this, and actually smirked with satisfaction about it.

"Good. Fear and hate are perfect while creating a borderline!"

The young boy helped the blond to stay still in her spot, but then amusement took over him and thus he decided to ask.

"A borderline?"

Yaru placed the phantom on the floor while keeping it away from the others. She locked eyes with the teenager and then began explaining.

"Yup. They serve as a regalia's ONLY weapon. A line that divides them from the phantoms. Some kind of a barrier."

Turning towards the now stable blond, she continued:

"Since you did so well yesterday, I figured it was time to teach you."

The teenage regalia seemed hesitant, but then it turned into embarrassment as she turned away with a frown on her features, showing her a rebellious attitude.

"Flattering isn't gonna get you anywhere."

Yaru chuckled at the girl's antics, and then moved out of the way, letting both teens in front of the small phantom.  
Gesturing with her own fingers, the Goddess spoke:

"Try to put both your index & middle finger together like this. Then swipe a line between yourself and the phantom."

Yuki's flustered face disappeared as a somewhat determined one took its place. The blond placed her fingers as indicated previously, and she let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding.

Imagining the line already, the teen stood her ground and slipped.

"A LINE!"

A white light drew a line in the ground right where the girl had pointed at. The barrier took a light blue color as it shielded her & Hioko from the small spirit.  
It almost covered the whole bench behind them, and the mouse-like phantom jumped in surprise.

Just like the other teen & the Goddess.

"W-Wow! That's a borderline?"

"Hmmm. It divides the light from the darkness, keeping corrupted spirits away, making them unable to cross."

To prove her point, the small phantom still tried to pass the barrier, but retreated in the end because of the shockwave that was sent its way.

"Can you do that too? How about me?"

"You and I can't. A borderline is a power exclusive for regalias. Only THEY can use it. But..."

At the hesitation, Hioko turned towards Yaru with curiosity and then simply found her with a serious blank expression, looking straight at the borderline.

"Creating one so powerful in the first try? I've never seen anything like it. Not from the regalias I know..."

Yuki seemed pretty pleased with herself, even though she also appeared to be a bit flustered (nothing new there).  
Hioko was happy for her, since she appeared to be growing into someone much more confident.

Yet still, when Yaru mentioned other regalias, the young Iki couldn't help but think about a mysterious figure that they had encountered the day before.

 _"She called him Nora... Who was he?"_

Speaking his mind, the pink eyed boy asked:

"That boy you called Nora... is he your regalia too?"

Both God & Regalia turned towards the half phantom with a look that indicated they're confusion. But then, realization hit the blond, and then she frowned.

Yaru on the other hand was annoyed. She got up from her spot in the ground letting out a sigh.

"Oh him? He's..."  
The woman stopped mid sentence to think of a good term. Then it dawned to her, and she replied with a cocky grin:

"A friend with benefits!"

That could be interpretated in many ways. And each one appeared to be worse than the last. Or at least in Hioko's perspective.  
Feeling bad for everyone the Goddess has been with, the boy's train of thought once again rested in the small blond.

Yuki was a newbie. Yet still she was also human; or used to be one. Her necessities had to be taken care of, even if she was just being used as a tool.

She needed a warm bed, proper clothing, food, shelter and many more.

Things the Goddess dressed in a Jersey couldn't provide.

The blond wasn't just a human, but a GIRL nonetheless!  
Hioko's kind instincts were taking over, and before he knew it, he had taken a hold of the teen's arm and pulled her against him.

Yaru could feel the pain in her neck already.

"That's it! I'm done! Yuki-Chan's coming with me!"

"Wait what?!"

"You heard me! You can't give her proper treatment! With your ex-regalia, boyfriend & friend with benefits, it's not possible for you to take care of her needs!"

Pulling the blond into a hug like if she were a mere teddy bear, Hioko kept his glare intense and began walking away with her.

"STAY. AWAY. FROM. HERRRRRR!"

Yaru chased them both and began pulling from the regalia's free arm. Both Hioko & she would pull with all their might, while poor Yuki struggled to break away.

After a while, they all got tired and began panting heavily. The Goddess was the first to compose herself, as she directed a glare towards the source of her affections, she said:

"What are you intending to do anyway?"

Hioko took a deep breath of his own, and replied:  
"Take her home. I will give her anything she wants."

Yuki's face once again resembled a tomato at the moment, and another sharp pain cursed through Yaru's body.

"NO NO NO! Let me spell it for you:  
N-O! A boy & a girl in the same house is the PERFECT formula for disaster! Don't you see all this pain she's causing me?!"

"Aw come on stop being paranoid! Yuki-Chan is a very nice & polite girl. Not a perv like SOME people."

"Oh so now I'M the perv?!"

"Exactly!"

The bickering began at that moment. Good thing nobody was around to see them. Well, they wouldn't be able to see them anyway.

The teenage regalia was still on the sidelines, not daring to go any closer to the insane duo.

In a sense, she was kind of happy that Hioko had so much faith in her. Unfortunately, Yaru was also kind of right.

The little blond was slowly, but surely, growing a crush on the pink eyed boy.

He was so nice and kind to her, but she figured that maybe he was like that to everyone. Either way, her heart would skip a beat whenever he touched her or spoke to her about certain things.

Waking her from her thoughts, Hioko stood in front of her with an outstretched hand. It brought back the blush.

"Come with me Yuki-Chan!"

Yaru on the other hand, also outstretched hers with a pleading look in her eyes that also held annoyance.

"Don't do it Yuki! Stay away from him!"

"Ummmm..."

 **...**

 **A/N The decision took long so we'll just say that Yuki went willingly with Hioko-senpai ;)**

 **Yaru: WAIT WHAT? AHHHHHHHH *Cries***

/

Night time had fallen pretty quickly. The teenagers took longer than necessary thanks to the continuous begging from the Delivery Goddess.

In the end, Hioko had to use one of his special 'moves' to pray her away from them, leaving her beaten down in the process.

Hioko's house wasn't that far away, but since it was pretty chilly, he wanted to take the blond there as quickly as possible.

In the entire walk, neither of them had spoken at all, which had disappointed the male more than he had expected.  
Yuki staying at his house would be the perfect opportunity to get closer to her.

Become a friend.

Not be just a random stalker that offered shelter.

So once they stepped into the Iki property, the pink eyed boy greeted her warmly.

"Welcome to your temporary home!"

Yuki's gaze fell upon the house/mansion right in front of her. Looking around like if she had been mistaken, the blond asked:

"Wait... THAT'S your home?!"

The girl pointed towards the place in emphasize, and the half-phantom chuckled.

"Yup! Why? Too big for your liking?"

They began walking down the path and straight to the door, passing many beautiful flowers and animal statues meant for decorating.

The blond couldn't keep her eyes away from it as she spoke:

"No! I mean... you must be rich!"

"Hahaha what are you talking about? I'm just a regular high school boy."

Both of them came to the door and then the older opened it with the key. The girl trailed behind him, keeping a safe distance between herself and everything.

The inside was surprisingly simpler than the outside. It appeared to be a 2- floor house.

Where they were was the living room. A beautiful brown colored sofa in the middle of the room with many love seats around it.

A flat screen TV was in the front of the seats, and was placed on top of a wooded table.

Many family pictures were in the walls, decorating and symbolizing many precious moments for them all.

No sounds could be heard, and that was getting a little creepy.

"Um... are your parents in another room?"

After he left his backpack next to the sofa, the young Iki turned towards the blond with a small smirk gracing his lips.

"Luckly for us, they're not home yet."

It took almost 10 seconds for Yuki to process what he said.  
And when she did, her face exploded into 100 shades of red and many images of Hioko with THAT smirk doing 'certain' things appeared in her head.

"Y-You mean! We're here by-... ALONE!?"

"Yuki-chan! Shhhh!"

The smirk disappeared, and was replaced by the teen's usual soft eyes. But these were filled with worry as he quickly covered her mouth, preventing her from talking.

Inhaling a sharp breath of air, the girl's first instinct was to bite his hand and run away. Yet she refrained from doing so, just for the simple fact that Hioko wouldn't hurt her.

Or at least she hoped.

"Hioko-san? Is it you?"

A elderly man walked into the room, holding a bag of uncooked rice in his hands. The place he came from was the kitchen obviously.

Yuki held her breath praying to not get caught, until she remembered that he shouldn't be able to see her.  
Still, she didn't want to take any chances.

Hioko still had his hand clamped on top of her mouth when he laughed nervously and said:

"Y-yes Satzio-San. I'm home."

The older housekeeper stared at the teen in front of him with a frown. Hioko then realized how awkward he must look to Satzio-San.  
Clamping his hand in thin air, and holding onto an invisible body.

Both teens were anxiously waiting for this man's response. In the end, Satsio-San smiled and then said that dinner would be done in a few minutes, all the while walking away from them.

Once he was sure that the man was away from ear range, the young Iki turned to face the girl that was in his arms, and then released her mouth.

Even after that, Yuki stayed silent.

They both stared into each others eyes.

Pink mixing with Orange.

And then came the laughter.

They laughed simultaneously like if there was no tomorrow.

The tension along with suspense had exploded into fits of giggling.  
They're faces were cherry colored as well because of embarrassment and them getting out of breath.

Hioko was the first to calm down, and could then appreciate how the blond looked like while laughing.  
Cute would be too small compared to how she actually looked like.

Yuki regained her composure after a second or so and then turned towards her friend.

Gesturing for her to follow, the teen walked towards the staircase leading to the 2nd floor.

The blond agreed and then began walking as well. Once they made it to the top, Hioko led her to a room that was at the end of the hallway.  
Opening the door and turning the lights on, Yuki stared in wonder.

It was a small room, no denying it.

Painted with a white color.  
With a light blue bed.  
A small night stand painted in a black color.  
Some old books/comics organized in the shelves.  
A T.V placed on top of said shelves, with a wardrobe to the right, filled with much needed clothing.

"Wow! This is your room?"

The blond didn't even let Hioko answer as she dashed towards the bed and began jumping up and down.  
A smile was placed on her face as she giggled in glee.

"No, it was my sister's. Before she left to collage she used to sleep here."

"Really?"

"Hmmmm. And now it's yours. We don't use it anymore so it should be a perfect guest room."

"Thanks a lot!"

Yuki stopped her jumping festival and then got out of the bed with ruffled hair that was all over her face. Hioko rolled his eyes and then made his way to the drawer.

There he picked up some towels and then went back to place them in the girl's hands. She looked at him confused, but then he began explaining:

"The bathroom is the door with a panda on it. You should refresh yourself. Clothes are in the closet."

The boy began walking away, letting the girl know that he wasn't gonna take a 'no' for an answer. Already on the door, he gave her one last look and said:

"My room is right next to this one. Make yourself at home."

Yuki smiled at him, and politely nodded.

Once the door was closed, Yuki let herself fall onto the bed, and she snuggled closer to the fluffy towels. Letting out a sigh, she said to herself:

"Hioko-kun really is lucky..."

/

Meanwhile, downstairs with our beloved teenage boy, he makes his way down the staircase with a solemn expression.

Yet once he reached the bottom, this was quickly replaced with a smirk and a fist bump to the air.

 _"I did it! She laughed! She's having a good time! And best of all, my parents won't figure it out!"_

Hioko kept doing his own little victory traits in his head as he walks towards te living room to watch some TV.

The teenager will wait for Yuki to take a bath, and probably then sleep so they can go the mall the next day.  
He wasn't planning on letting her live with him.  
He just wanted to give her one weekend full of fun so she could enjoy the life she still had.

Flopping himself on the couch and reaching for the control, the boy let out a sigh of content.  
This would be a nice day.

 **Click!**

"Honey~! We're home!"

The young boy, startled, dropped the remote causing the batteries to scatter all across the floor.

He knew that voice.

Running full speed towards the front door (which was conveniently close to the living room) he came to an abrupt stop as he saw that his fears were true.

"M-Mom! D-Dad? Welcome home!"

Iki Akane along with her husband Iki Moyobu wee in the doorway, the latter carrying bags full of groceries.

 _"They're not supposed to be here so early!"_

After getting over his mini heart attack, the teen helped his father with the bags even though the man refused. Ms Iki helped as well with certain lighter things.

"Thank you son. Who knew we'd need so much!"

Mr. Iki had more similarities to his son, such as personality and hair color. The only physical difference was that he had brown eyes.

"No problem dad, it's my job to help whenever I can. Since Maru isn't here, I'll be the one to do so!"

The whole family beamed at that statement, for they knew that the oldest child of the Iki household was a wonderful woman who was now engaged. Remembering her from time to time was nice.

Though, the moment was ruined, when a woman with bright blue eyes showed up behind Mr. Iki, sniffing because of the story.

"Awwww such beautiful awaited reunion~!"

A vein popped, and the teen growled softly at the woman antics. Yaru's snarky little 'pity' for wasn't helping either.

"Honey, are you ok? What's wrong?"

Ms. Iki worried about her son since he just suddenly started getting angry at the wall for some reason.  
Hioko realized his mistake, and thus he simply brushed it off saying that he just felt tired so he would head to his room.

Giving the Goddess one last glance, he made it clear that he wanted to talk, and so did her.

So once the boy made it to his room safely, he jumped through the window to the backyard, and there was the Goddess standing next to an old tree waiting for him.

"What are you doing here?"

"How is she?"

"Don't change the subject, WHAT are you doing here? Can't you just let her stay for once?"

The Goddess glanced at the night sky and then spoke in a more quiet tone, like if she didn't want anyone else to hear:

"Usually, we sleep in shrines because those protect us from corrupted spirits. This house isn't sacred at all. Remember that I can feel her emotions."

"What do you mean by all that?"

"Look, I trust you. Just make sure of keeping and eye on her..."

The Goddess' eyes fell upon the boy's, and at that moment, Hioko noticed her vacant expression. She was still thinking about something.  
And she spoke it out loud afterwards:

"Yuki is..."

The wind blew past them like in a classic horror movie, and it later took the woman away with it.  
We say that because she disappeared from her spot, but not until Hioko heard what she said:

"Afraid of the dark."

/

When the whole talk with Yaru passed, our teenage protagonist jumped back into the room trying to decipher the woman's words.

To do so, he walked downstairs to the kitchen for a 'late night' snack.

We say 'late night' because once he got back to his room, Hioko noticed that it was 10 pm.

He grabbed a bag full of Doritos and took it back upstairs. While going to his room, the boy took a quick peek inside of Yuki's room.

She wasn't there yet, but he noticed many drawers and the closet open. There in the bed, folded neatly, was a pair of his sister's old pajamas along with brown slippers.

The black haired male smiled at the scene and then made his way back to his own bed.

Putting on his pajamas, he covered himself with his blankets and went to La La Land.

Almost half an hour later, the boy couldn't sleep. And it was ok, since later the door to his room opened and the light from outside came in.

Hioko adjusted his eyes to the darkness surrounding him, and stared at the figure of messy blond hair in the doorway.

"Yuki-chan?"

Indeed, the blond haired girl stood there with one hand in the doorknob and the other holding her hair out of her face.

The pajamas that the boy had seen earlier actually fitted her. That's when he realized that she actually seemed the exact same height as her sister when she was 14.

"I'm sorry that I woke you up."

The blond spoke softly since it was, of course, pretty late. Hioko didn't mind and got up just enough to sit in the bed. With a quiet yawn, he said:

"No, it's ok. What's wrong?"

Yuki began fidgeting with her fingers as she explained:

"W-Well... you see.. your dad just turned the light off of my room. I...  
I'm honestly not comfortable in the dark so.. I was wondering if I could... s-sleep here?"

During the whole speech, the poor girl had started to turn red. And Hioko couldn't help but think of her as cute.

She expected for him to tell her to leave, yet he merly replied with:

"Sure. There are some blankets over there if you're cold."

Yuki was surprised, but afterwards composed herself and smiled as a sign of gratitude. She made her way towards the drawer the boy had pointed at, and then began grabbing a pair of blankets.

Once she picked the ones she liked, she walked to a clean area and then placed one of the blankets on the floor.

Hioko watched curiously on the sidelines, Yuki could feel his gaze. After another minute of intense observation, his voice asked:

"What are you doing?"

The blond glanced his way, and then, rubbing the back of her neck, she said:

"Preparing to sleep. You don't mind if one of your blankets gets dirty do you?"

The boy's pink orbs widened slightly, and then he removed his blanket, uncovering the lower part of his body.

"Yuki-Chan that isn't necessary. You can sleep in my bed."

 _"Wait what?!"_

The blond shook her head furiously and turned to the boy with a determinant look.

"Thank you but no thank you. I'll be fine on the floor."

"No that isn't proper! Your my guest and a girl as well. It would be rude of me to let you sleep there!"

"But your my host! It would be rude of ME to kick you out of your own bed!"

When Hioko noticed the girl's eyes, he knew that she was serious. Thus, with a sigh, he knew there wasn't another option.

"Well then. What if we both sleep together?"

Yuki's eyes widened and her face erupted in a blush. When he saw this, the boy blushed himself when he understood the hidden meaning behind his earlier statement.

"I-I mean we can share the bed. Come on."

Patting the spot next to him, the young Iki tried to control his blush and afterwards smiled reassuringly at her. He didn't want to seem like a pervert in front of her.

Yuki's blush was still present, but she still forced herself to move forward.

Before they knew it, they were both huddled up close to one another. Hioko had fallen asleep, clearly stated because of his light snoring.

The girl was still wide awake, and she could feel her companion's breath in her neck. The close contact with the handsome young boy made her heartbeat increase.

The smell of his shampoo got to her nostrils.

His whole body was lightly pressed against her back.

His hands were curled against his chest in a cute sleepy matter.

She began wondering what they would feel like close to her body.

Touching her skin.

Caresing her face.

Near certain areas that were somewhat private.

Unconsciously, Yuki placed her hand on top of her clothed breasts, and squeezed for a bit.

A soft moan escaped her lips until she turned towards the boy. She slowly got a hold of one of his hands and was also slowly guiding it towards her chest.

"Yu-ki-Chan..."

A hand covered the blond's mouth, and, with many protests and struggles from her, someone had dragged her out of the room.

The girl's head was a mess while her heart kept beating like if it were a drum. Thus, she kept kicking and trying to bite the hand off but with no avail.

As a last resort, she licked the person's hand and, while they were distracted, hit them with a back kick.

The person didn't even flinch, yet they did release her afterwards.

Finally looking at her kidnapper in the light, Yuki felt her stomach began to twist.

"W-What are you doing here?"

Yaru, her master and Delivery Goddess, was practically glaring at the younger girl with a scowl clear in her features. With a lecturing tone in her voice, she began:

"Don't act all innocent you little brat! What were you about to do?!"

The last minutes in Hioko's room came flashing into the blond's mind as she blushed.

"It's not like that! Hioko-kun invited me into his bed!"

The dark aura around the older woman slowly disappeared and was replaced with annoyance instead. With a soft glare, she said:

"You're too young to start thinking about boys. Focus on THIS beauty in the meantime Yuki-chan~!"

Yuki began twiddling with her thumbs in embarrassment. But then a thought also occurred in the back of her head.

Yaru treating her like kid was getting really annoying.

She knew what to do and what not to do.  
She wasn't dumb.  
She could handle it.

Yeah she was about to do something she now regrets, but still regardless, always keping her distance was something she's done for a while.

So just because she did one mistake it meant she was useless?

 _"Then why do you need me anyway? Why not go with that other regalia boy 'Nora' instead?"_

The Goddess gave her a somewhat worried look mixed with confusion. Only now noticing her parted lips, Yuki realized that she must have said it out loud.

Not even thinking twice, the blond ran off without turning back, leaving Yaru in the dark with her inner thoughts.

/

The next day was a Saturday.

Hioko's parents left early to work, so The teens had the chance to eat some homemade breakfast.  
Yuki would never get tired of his amazing cooking skills.

Afterwards, the young boy invited her to go to the mall, considering he had to buy some new clothes for himself.

He didn't mention anything about last night, so Yuki figured that he didn't know about it. So she kept it that way for both of their sakes.

She also hadn't seen Yaru all day, which she was grateful for. Anger was still lingering in her heart so she didn't want Hioko to see her lash out.

They were currently in the convenience store buying some extra food for dinner later.  
While he was in the snack area she went looking into the magazine section, just to kill some time.

Many romantic sappy novels were placed in alphabetical order in front of her. Also history on sports, girly pre-teen magazines, etc.  
Nothing seemed to catch her eye.

She wasn't girly.

But she wasn't a tomboy either.

Walking past the many bookshelves, the options became even worse the more she looked.  
With a sigh, Yuki was about to head with her friend defeated. Until she came across the manga section.

It was surprisingly small, considering they were Japanese and all.

Only 2 or 3 stocks of the black and white styled comics.

What had caught the girl's eye, was the cover of a manga that seemed interesting enough.

Noragami.

She picked it up and began reading the summary. Intrigued by the story's plot, she started flipping through the thing, finding herself digging deeper and deeper.

The character designs were impressive and they're personalities were pretty mashed up.

It took place in a high school outside of town with a transfer student named Hiyori. She started developing a crush on 2 of her new classmates: Yato & Yukine.

Yato was childish yet handsome.

While Yukine had an anger issue but that made him a cute cotton ball.

Yuki was about to begin the 3rd chapter when she felt some warm air in the back of her neck.

"So this is where you were."

With a gasp, the blond turned towards the person terrified, yet she calmed down once she saw a smiling Hioko.

"Sorry Yuki-Chan. I was just finishing and got kind of worried since you were taking too long."  
During his awkward explanation, the boy rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"It's ok. I was just bored so, we can go now."

The blond left the manga booklet where she found it, but not before giving one last hopeful glance. It was involuntary so she didn't even notice. But her companion did.

"Do you want it?"

Hioko began searching in his back pocket muttering things like 'lets see how much I got left..'.  
The young regalia merely replied with mutters of her own, like 'don't worry.'

Even though she DID want it, Yuki didn't want to take advantage of her friend's kindness. So, thinking of a quick solution, she then said:

"It's ok Hioko-kun thank you!"  
Placing her hands against his, she stopped his movements so he could look at her.

"If I want to read it, since no one can see me, I'll just borrow it."

Emphasizing her words, the blond took the booklet she was reading before, and headed past the store's door. Just as predicted, no one noticed her.

Turning towards her friend with a smile, she said:

"See? Let's go, I'm starving!"

But Hioko didn't move.  
In fact, he wasn't even looking at her.  
Getting a little worried, she called his name again.  
This time, his response was almost immediate.  
Running towards her almost at full speed and getting a grip of her arm.

A HARD grip.

"Yuki-Chan, that isn't any different than stealing! Here, give it back!"

The black haired boy took the manga and then walked calmly inside the store to return it.

Yuki's head began filling with many different thoughts. But the primal one, was deception.  
Even Hioko thought of her as useless?  
Well maybe he didn't say it like that. But it still hurt.  
The thought of a friend making her feel like a thief.  
Accusing her of being a thief.

Before she knew it, the girl had started to walk away, to wherever she liked.

/

The teenage girl spent most of the day wandering through town, looking at many people passing her by.

She had also seen a couple of boys her age that seemed to be heading to a soccer game. They were cheerful and confident.

After a while of walking like a homeless person, she decided on taking a short cut into the public library. Yet still, she couldn't find what she wanted, and just took a random kids storybook.

Afterwards, she just took a slow walk in the park, since it appeared to be nearly empty. Taking a seat on the bench, she started considering her options.

She could always go back with Yaru, but the chances on finding the Goddess at this time were very thin. Plus, she could still be keeping guard on her.

Then there was Hioko. Of course that would be an easy resort, but still...

"I wonder if Hioko-kun is still mad at me..."

Knowing him, he would probably forgive her out of pity, do it wouldn't be that bad. Yet still, she worried about him telling Yaru about the earlier situation.

The Goddess could actually do something against her. She was her master after all.

 **Ding! Ding! Ding!**

Surpised, Yuki turned towards the clock tower on the other side of the street. It read 9 pm.

The girl stared wide eyed at this, but then looked around. It was already dark outside and people were leaving quickly.

Getting up from her seat, she took the last minute resort and ran towards the direction of Hioko's house.  
The darkness became thicker, and suddenly it was almost around her.  
If it weren't for the people that were near her, she would have thought she was lost by now.

Sweat began forming in her forehead, and for some reason she ran faster.  
Her heart was pumping, and the blond could feel the breath leaving her.

 _"Somewhere with light! Please!"_

"Help..."

A voice from a young boy broke her train of though, and made Yuki stop on her tracks.  
She only stopped because it felt so close to her.

Indeed, next to an old shop that was closed, sat a little boy with black hair huddled between his legs, keeping his knees close to his chest.

"I need help...someone help..."

Yuki stayed still staring at the poor form of the boy. He was shivering and appeared to be hungry since he had his hands clutching his stomach.  
It would break her heart if she wasn't careful.

Yet before she could go her own way, the boy must have feel someone's gaze on him, for he turned towards her in a matter of seconds.  
His dark green eyes were filled with shock as he stared at her.

"You... can see me?"

 _"Crap!"_  
Yuki inwardly thought to her dismay.

She was about to ignore him and continue walking, until she felt a pressure holding her left leg in place.  
The little boy only clutched tighter as she wanted to wiggle free.  
Tears began forming in his eyes, and at that moment the blond's heart sank.

"Wait! I don't get it! Why is everyone ignoring me?! These weird eyeball things talk to me, but I'm scared!  
Al I want is to see my mom!"

Yuki couldn't understand the kid's distress, until she noticed something else lingering in the old shop.

A small commemorative sign, in honor of someone who died. What caught the girl's eye was the drawing in the front. It looked a lot like the kid, but still with a different hairstyle. It read:

 _"A boy of the age of 10 died in a car accident while waiting for his mother to pick him up from his boarding school."_

Putting 2 and 2 together, the teen glanced down at the boy between her legs with a heavy pain in her heart. He looked up at her again, and said even more desperately:

"Please Miss! Can you stay here with me? Just while my mom gets here!"

The dark atmosphere around them reminded Yuki of the reason why she wanted to go home as quickly as possible.

Yet the little kid was begging to her, making her heart sink, and finding new confidence inside her.  
Be the brave one of the duo.

So, as she leaned down to be in his eye level, the young regalia gave him a gentle smile and replied:

"Sure. Let's wait over there ok?"

Yuki was pointing towards the park across from them, so the little boy agreed. Hand in hand, they walked over there.

Sitting down in a bench with lighting, they waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Over another 10 mins. Yuki grew impatient. The boy must have noticed, since he placed a hand on her knee and said:

"I'm sorry about her. She's usually on time. I bet your family must be worried about you by now right?"

Laughing lightly, the blond replied:  
"It's ok. And I honestly don't have any- AH!"

The girl had stopped dead in her tracks when the light of the pole flickered out. It was still ok, but she was now visibly shivering.  
Her resolve was crumbling little by little.

"Miss don't worry! When my mom gets here, we'll give you a ride home! She'll be here soon! You'll see!"

Fear mixed with anxiety caused her to speak her thoughts out loud:

"I..I.. don't think she's coming..."

Silence filled the air, and suddenly Yuki realized her mistake. Turning towards her companion, indeed she found him staring wide eyed at her, almost not believing what she said.

Staring down at his feet for a bit, he began to sob and then decided to walk away from the bench towards the dark area of the lamppost.

Yuki immediately stood up as well yelling for the boy to come back. He had already past to the dark side that wasn't being illuminated.

"Wait! Come back!"

"Yuki-Chan!"

The blond could have sworn she heard her name being called, yet once she saw some floating eyeballs near the little kid, she ignored it to run towards him.

"Stay away from the-!"

 **"pOor LiTTLe boy.."**

Stoping dead in her tracks, the teen shivered slightly at the source of the voice. Phantoms were slowly approaching the still crying boy, trying to convince him.

 **"You Don't DeSeRve thAT, but Your MOmmy iS here. DoN't worry .."**

"R-Really?"  
The little boy asked helplesly.

 **"COme hERe and we'll ShOw yoU..!"**

Phantoms got closer and closet until you could practically see the boy being consumed by them. The blond was frozen in place, yet she tried her best to think of some way to help him.

Her mind was blank.

Nothing would come to her.

What _could_ she do?

"Yuki-Chan! Use that thing Yaru taught you!"

In that instant, the young regalia finally acknowledged her friend's presence and them began thinking. The gears in her brain started moving as she remembered what the boy was referring to.

Getting in position, the girl mumbled to herself:

"Keep your middle & index finger together and then..."

Yuki was about to swipe, until she realized that she was gonna have to get closer. Leaving her fear of the dark behind, she ran towards the boy with all her might, and pulled him against her while yelling:

"A LINE!"

 **"AhHh!"**

The little boy started to shiver in Yuki's arms, as she securely held onto him while panting heavily because of the run.

She stared down at the kid with a hesitant expression, but then spoke softly:

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier."

The boy merely opted by shivering faster and tugging at the girl's torn  
t-shirt.  
She then stared ahead at the phantoms that were trapped behind the white barrier, and spoke in an insecure tone:

"Don't worry. They can't cross over here!"

 **"SMellS NicE..."**

The young girl trembled a bit after hearing the voice behind her, making everything seem a lot more darker and creepier.  
Everything surrounding her appeared to be getting smaller as well. Phantoms began getting closer and closer as the blond took a couple of steps back with the little boy.

 **"sMeLLs NICE.."**  
 **"sMeLLs NICE..** "  
 **"sMeLLs NICE..** "  
 **"sMeLLs NICE..** "  
 **"sMeLLs NICE..** "

"Smells nice..."

The new source came from the teen's chest, and, with fear clear in her eyes, she turned towards the kid with her.  
The only thing that made her heart nearly stop, was the phantom-like eye that replaced his normal one.

"Miss... **yOu smell NicE.."**

"AH!"

Falling backwards into the floor, the young blond tried her best to crawl backwards, away from the little phantom in front of her.

To make matters worse, the lighting pole flickered again, but this time it stayed off. Dakness was actually surrounding her, and the phantoms were the only thing she could see.

The only sounds that she heard were her somewhat calm breathing, and the rapid beat of her heart.

 _"Where is Hioko-kun?! Wasn't he with me?!"_

Indeed, her teenage friend was nowhere to be seen. All she could see was the phantoms, and all she could hear was her own voice in her head pleading:

 _ **"PLEASE STOP! I'M SORRY!"**_

That was enough. For Yuki to break.

"AHHHHHHHH!"

.

.

.

 _"What's happening?"_

The reason behind the question was obvious. Everything had just been a blur to her...

She didn't know when Yaru appeared.

She didn't know why Hioko was so concerned about her.

She didn't even know how DoD that phantom appear.

All that she could utter, was a single plea to her master:

"Help that boy... he's still in there...  
p-please.."

Silence filled the air, until the Goddess replied with a firm 'Alright'.

"Come! Sekki!"

Turning into her blade form, Yuki thought she could help, but ten realized that was not Yaru's intention at all.  
The Goddess was going for the kill.

"Wait! STOP!"

Fortunetly, her scream had caused the Goddess' attack to not be so effective, thus making them fall to the ground in pain  
The regalia spoke her thoughts out loud:

 **"What are you doing?! You're supposed to SAVE him!"**

"That won't do! He's been corrupted!"

 **"What?!"**

"The only way is to slay him! We can't do anything about it!"

The gigantic phantom had Yaru pinned to the ground, and then was pushed against the concrete wall with a big smash.

Getting up with bruises all over her body, Yaru spoke:

"Yuki. When your corrupted by a phantom, your a spirit that has to go through a hell of pain and misery."

 _"I know..."_

"If we want to help him, we must do this!"

 _"I know!"_

The blond began shaking in fear, desperation, frustration...

"Yuki!"

 _"But I want to help him... because.."_

Yaru began slicing though the beast's body, with no remorse whatsoever.  
The blond began crying as well, trying her best to do what Yaru wanted her to do.  
But the back of her head kept the negative feelings at bay.

 _"I'm worthless.."_

Monster defeated. Kid long forgotten.  
And a Goddess of Calamity holding the back of her neck in pain.

Her blade resting in the dark areas of the street.

 _"No wonder I don't have any friends..."_

/

 **Sweet mother of Equestria, this took a dark turn all of a sudden °_°**  
 **So, sorry about the late update, but school has been getting the best of me XD**

 **Good thing that I'm starting vacations in 3 more weeks. Gotta focus on manga & anime ;) More specifically Yu Yu hakusho :p**

 **Thanks for all of your support and I hope that we can start with other series before I go dead. Most likely I'll do Seraph of the end after I finish this one and THEN do Aragoto.**

 **Guys, if you also read other stories of mine that need updating, please bear with me XD I'll update one and then another.**

 **(Also hooray for long chapters! Longest I've ever written!)**

 **See ya all later, and have a good day~!**

 **~Alice :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey there guys! I know u haven't been up to date lately regarding this story, but I just wanna let you know that I have good reasons to do so.**

 **While I was on vacay, I went through some troubles on my personal life, such as anxiety, grief, insecurities, etc.**  
 **But now I'm feeling better so there shouldn't be any troubles, my life is getting back on track, and I'm greatful XD**

 **Unfortunately I have some bad news. This story will be completed with this many chapters. I was working on the next part recently, however my phone got a virus which limited my access on many apps, this one included.**

 **A couple of days ago I decided to just reinstall it, and then I noticed that the draft i made was deleted along with the virus :(**

 **So, since it was already long enough, and I've noticed that the story hasn't been getting that many views to begin with, I figured that ending it here would be OK.**

 **Don't worry though. I've decided that I'll also do other special scene episodes in other books, and might use the genderbend characters in other shipping stories XD**

 **I'll try to update my other story instead since it's been getting too much feedback (and the part that I wrote for that one was saved on my PC so yey!)**

 **Thank you so much for your support until now and I hope that you've been enjoying this as much as I've been.**  
 **The episodes that have already been made were really fun to do!**

 **And if you have any suggestions or requests, feel free to comment or private message me and I'll gladly consider them!**

 **ARIGATOU for all of your beautiful comments, and let's hope that Noragami season 3 will come soon :3**

 **~Alice :)**


End file.
